Without a Trace

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Here is our kitchen with a stove, microwave and fridge.” Marin opened a cabinet to show her it was fully stocked with cans and boxes. “There are fresh ingredients in the fridge and the freezer is packed with microwaveable dinners. Meals are on our own but Ieshia likes to have a Sunday brunch where we all cook and eat together. We get supply drops every ten days or so with bottled water, food and drugs. If you have any requests, write them on the list here.” She pointed out a paper attached to the refrigerator. “It’ll be on the next delivery.”

  Marin opened a door off the hallway. “Washer and dryer in here.” She closed it and entered another room. “These are the sleeping quarters.”

  Six cots filled the space, each with a wardrobe and a curtain that could be pulled for privacy. A bathroom with two stalls and a row of showers rounded out the space.

  As basic as the facility was, they had electricity thanks to generators and solar panels attached to the roof. Water was pumped from a well and filtered. Internet was available and a nearby cell tower would allow for calls to be made. Doctors International provided the best accommodations possible given the conditions. It wasn’t the Hilton, but Amelia could last the few weeks she’d been assigned to Santigo.

  “You have your choice of these three beds.” Marin indicated the ones that were available. Amelia chose one and placed her suitcase on the mattress. She’d unpack later.

  “I have one last room to show you,” Marin said, leading her to a door with a keypad. She punched in a number and turned the handle. “This is where we keep the necessities.” She flipped a switch on the wall to reveal a space packed with medical supplies. She reached on a shelf and handed Amelia a leather bag. “This is for essentials you might need when we visit the villages.” She moved to a wall of cabinets and opened a door. “You’ll find most of the resources in here.” She patted the next cabinet which was locked. “We keep all of the controlled substances in here.” She gave Amelia the code for both locks. “I’ll leave you to look around and fill your bag with anything you might need. Just holler if you have any questions.”

  She thanked Marin and then went about packing items. She selected an assortment of supplies including a stethoscope, bandages, syringes, scalpels and a variety of drugs, along with a portable IV kit, bags of saline and several vials of sedatives. She wasn’t sure what she’d be dealing with, but if someone needed help and was uncomfortable about having a woman tending to the wound, the drugs would knock them out so she could work on the injuries.

  Satisfied she’d packed the basics, she closed the bag and locked the cabinet. After her first village visit, she’d get a better idea of the kind of provisions she’d need and could change the contents accordingly.

  She carried the bag back to the main room. Ieshia looked up from her computer.

  “Did you find everything you need?”

  “I think so. I’m going to drop this off at my desk and then familiarize myself with the operating room.”

  “Let me know if you have any questions.”

  “Thanks. I will.”

  Amelia glanced across the space as she deposited her medical satchel beside her desk. Jody was still hunched over her phone texting away and Marin was digging through a drawer. She unzipped her Doctors International-issued messenger bag for a notebook but stopped. Nothing inside looked the least bit familiar. She moved items around, but they weren’t her things.

  “This isn’t my bag.”

  Ieshia looked up from her computer. “No? Whose is it?”

  Amelia dug inside until she located a name. “Donald Bainbridge.” She sighed. He must’ve grabbed hers after he stormed off when she refused his advances on the plane.

  “Good for nothing twit,” Ieshia mumbled.

  Amelia chuckled. Her thoughts exactly.

  Ieshia pushed a pair of glasses up to rest on top of her head and leaned back in her chair. “I haven’t heard the plane leave yet. You should be able to catch him at the airfield if you hurry.”

  Though she wasn’t excited about a jog through the jungle, she really needed her bag. She’d stashed important materials inside. “Good idea. I’ll be right back.”

  “Do you need someone to take you?”

  She glanced over to see that Jody was now talking on her phone while Marin was gone. She hadn’t seen the other woman leave. “No, my sense of direction is good. I should be able to find it.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Before she left, she detoured to the bedroom to retrieve her hat. After slipping on her sunglasses, she settled it on her head before taking off down the path, her hiking boots crunching in the leaves. The hospital where she’d been assigned was in a remote part of the country, far from the capital and largest city of Meseta, which meant plateau in Spanish, the official language.

  Something scrabbling in the brush close to her had her remembering the various warnings about not travelling in the jungle by herself. Maybe she should’ve waited for Marin to return to accompany her. She’d also taken off without any kind of weapon. Wyatt would have a fit if he knew. Though she was proficient in self-defense, thanks to years of working and training with the women and men of COBRA Securities, he’d drilled safety measures into her while she put him through rehab exercises. She tolerated his ramblings because he needed something to focus on instead of the pain. If he knew she’d walked outside without even a knife, he’d wring her neck.

  Hum, the thought of his hands on her made goosebumps erupt along her arms despite the humidity. There was something seriously wrong with her. She was tempted to pull her phone out and stare at his picture again.

  She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on her surroundings. A grouping of rocks looked familiar, so she was following the correct path. She grew up camping and hiking with her parents and learned how to orientate herself and locate landmarks to mark the trail. The skill would come in handy in the Santigo jungle.

  Amelia skittered back a step and then gasped in pleasure when a colorful bird swooped by on his way to some unknown destination. The patches of red, white, green and yellow, along with the large bill almost as long as the body easily marked the bird as a toucan. She’d read up on all the different species of birds and animals she might come across and she was pleased that she’d spotted a toucan so early in her trip. From what she’d read, they tended to stay high up in the canopy, though they were heard all the time. She wished she’d had her phone in her hand to snap a picture to send to Wyatt—no, Maggie. Damn, what was wrong with her? She took out her phone just in case and was rewarded moments later when the bird returned. She snapped several pics and then scrolled through, finding the perfect one to send. She fired it off to Maggie and Wyatt before she could stop herself. No service. She wasn’t sure if they went through or not.

  She continued her journey, picking up her pace so she didn’t miss Donald before he left the country. Ieshia said she’d hear the plane if it took off and so far, it’d been quiet.

  She neared the clearing where the airport was located. The sun reflected off the metal building in the distance. As she moved closer, she spotted Donald by the plane and started towards him before something made her stop dead in her tracks. He was talking with a man in a beige suit and white panama hat with a black band. Two men stood behind them next to a black SUV with tinted windows, each toting an automatic weapon. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

  She ducked down behind a trio of metal canisters and aimed her phone at the exchange before hitting the record button. Everything in her screamed that this was a meeting of the illegal variety, especially when Donald handed the other man a bulky aluminum suitcase. Panama, as she named him, gestured to one of the goons behind him. Said goon slid the strap of his weapon over his shoulder and stepped forward to accept the case. He placed it on the hood of the SUV and flicked open the hinges. Amelia stifled a gasp. Even from a distance, she could see the crisp green and white bills. The man fanned through the stacks and then nodded to
his boss. Panama turned and gestured to the vehicle. The back doors opened and two more men piled out. They retreated to the back of the SUV where one opened the hatch and removed a dolly while the other began stacking boxes on it. Once it was loaded down, he dipped the two-wheeler back and rolled it towards the plane. Panama held out a hand to stop him and then produced a knife to slice through the tape on the top box. He extracted a thick white brick, slit the wrapping and handed it to Donald, who stuck a pinkie inside and then inhaled. He waited a moment and then nodded to Panama. The boxes were then placed inside the cargo hold.

  With a grimace of apology, Donald held up a finger to Panama and then reached into his pocket for his phone. Whoever called said something that caused Donald’s face to contort with anger. Then he turned and looked directly at her. She gasped, her phone flying from her hand as she ducked out of sight. She batted it back and forth a couple of times and managed to snatch it before it hit the ground. Her heart was like a jackhammer in her chest. She chanced a look around the side of the barrel. Donald was no longer on the phone, but he’d made no move in her direction. He was still talking with Panama. Maybe the call hadn’t been about her. She was just being paranoid. Still, she couldn’t take the chance and stick around. She had a feeling Donald wouldn’t be happy to have a witness to his drug exchange.

  She crawled backwards, making sure to stay out of sight until the jungle enveloped her and she was able to stand and dash away from the scene of the crime. A damp palm frond slapped her in the face. She shoved it aside and kept moving. When she came to a set of boulders, she checked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. She wasn’t. Placing Donald’s messenger bag on top of the rock, she unzipped it, finding a shaving kit, an apple, several candy bar wrappers and—jackpot! Her gaze darted around again to make sure she was still alone before she withdrew the notebook. After flipping through several pages, she was positive she was looking at proof of his crimes, and they weren’t contained to Santigo. He’d listed meetings and exchanges in several countries around the globe and well over a dozen major cities in the United States.

  She flattened the first page against the rock and snapped a picture. Working quickly, she documented each successive page with her camera. She’d rather take the hard copy, but when Donald discovered his pack was missing, she didn’t want him to know she was privy to his nefarious activities until she could do something about them.

  Amelia reached the last page of Donald’s journal, her head spinning from the amount and frequency of his buying and selling trips across the globe. He’d been doing this for years. She’d guess his age at around thirty, so he’d started while he was still in college.

  If she hadn’t seen the proof with her own eyes, she’d have a hard time believing the man she met was the mastermind of a global drug empire. Donald’s laidback playboy persona had to be a façade. He wanted people to see him that way so they’d overlook him, dismiss him. All the while, he had the last laugh, raking in millions and millions of dollars in illegal drug money.

  She closed the ledger and shoved it back inside the bag, sweat coating her forehead. She couldn’t wait to bring the scumbag down. The drugs he bought and sold destroyed hundreds of lives. He needed to be stopped, and she needed to get back and transfer the video and pictures from her phone to a thumb drive. Then she’d wipe her phone clean. She was in the middle of a foreign country with no resources to let someone know about what she’d witnessed. Wyatt’s handsome faced popped into her head. He’d know what to do. But no, she couldn’t call him. If she did, he’d be on the first plane here and he wasn’t physically ready to travel yet.

  She’d play it by ear before making any moves. From Donald’s records, he’d been doing this for a long time and hadn’t been caught. A few more days wouldn’t matter in the scheme of things, though she’d like to stop him before the drugs hit the streets. If she could keep one person from overdosing, then it’d be worth it.

  The leaves and trees around her started to sway and then birds screeched their displeasure at being unseated. A loud noise had her glancing skyward. Through a triangle-shaped opening in the branches, she watched as a plane climbed high into the sky.

  Closing her eyes, Amelia breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

  Chapter Three

  Amelia zipped the bag closed and tossed the strap over her shoulder. After adjusting her hat, she headed back to the hospital. She’d taken two steps when a noise behind her caused her heart to skip a beat. Had Donald found out what she’d done? She spun around and screamed when something flew at her. She tripped and went down hard on her backside, her sunglasses flying off her face. She scooted backwards, but the mustachioed fellow followed. He swiped her glasses off the ground and with a squawk, scrambled up a tree.

  She pushed to her feet and held out a hand. “Give those back to me.”

  Ignoring her demand, the emperor tamarin hissed at her and swung to another tree. Then the thief disappeared, taking her glasses with him.

  The small monkey was one of the most adorable creatures she’d seen, even if he had stolen from her. Grey with a yellow speckled chest, the most dominant feature was the long white beard that extended along both sides of his face. The species had supposedly been named for their resemblance to German emperor Wilhelm II.

  With no hope of retrieving her shades, she brushed off her backside and resumed her trip. She broke into a jog when a large red cross came into view. She’d made it back to the hospital without getting caught.

  The air conditioning was a welcome contrast to the humidity of the jungle when she pushed through the door. She removed her hat and shoved a hank of hair from her forehead. She needed a shower, and not just from the sweat. Witnessing Donald’s transaction made her feel dirty.

  Ieshia glanced up from her computer screen. “Did you have any trouble finding the airport?”

  “Eventually, after a couple of wrong turns,” she lied. She hadn’t made any missteps, but she needed an explanation for why she’d been gone so long.

  “Were you able to find Donald?”

  She shook her head. “I heard the plane take off the same time I found the airport. I missed him.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” Ieshia sympathized. “If you need any toiletries or necessities, we should have extras. She pointed to a cabinet with double doors along the back wall. “Help yourself to the supplies.”

  Maybe they stocked an extra pair of sunglasses. “I will. Thank you.”

  Amelia slid the strap of the bag off her shoulder and placed it beside her desk. She sat in the chair and woke the computer. Sliding the desk drawer open, she found the booklet with the password and logged on. After replacing the book, she searched through the drawers, excited to find the items she’d been hoping for. Apparently, they were prepared for anything. She removed a charging cord and plugged one end into the USB port on the laptop. After a covert glance over her shoulder at Jody and Marin—who was back at her desk— to make sure no one was watching, she inserted the other end into her phone and uploaded the video and photos to her computer. Once the files transferred, she checked the video to make sure it worked before erasing every trace from her cell. She exchanged the cord for a flash drive and transferred the files. After wiping the computer clean, she ejected the drive.

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  Amelia gasped and spun around, her eyes widening in horror when the thumb drive flew from her fingers like a tiny frisbee.

  “Oh gosh, I’m sorry I scared you.” Marin bent down and collected the drive, handing it back to Amelia. Out of the corner of her eye, Amelia spotted Jody standing a few feet away with a clear view to her laptop screen. How much had they seen? She wanted to confide in someone about what she witnessed, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had warned Donald that she was on the way to meet him. Could it have been Marin? Jody?

  “Thanks, and no need to apologize. I’m just tired from the flight. I’m going to unpack my bag and then I might take
a short nap.”

  She made eye contact with both women, trying to gauge how much they’d seen, but neither gave anything away. Marin smiled at her while Jody’s emotions were guarded. She was either shy or aloof. Amelia wasn’t sure which one yet.

  Spotting a roll of surgical tape on a table, she swiped it as she passed by on her way to the bedroom. Her suitcase was where she left it on top of one of the beds. She used the guise of moving it to the floor to check if anyone had followed her, relieved that she was alone in the room. Slipping the thumb drive from her pocket, she searched for a place to hide it. After ripping off a strip of tape, she dropped to the floor and reached beneath the wardrobe beside her bed to affix the drive to the bottom. She added another strip of tape to make sure it stayed in place until she decided what to do with the information.

  She plopped to her bottom and leaned against the dresser. She wished Wyatt was here with her. He’d know exactly what to do. Again, she lamented the fact that she couldn’t call him for fear that he’d hop on the first plane to South America. Eventually she’d have to turn the files over to Dr. Luther Bainbridge. He deserved to know what his grandson was doing to his legacy. He was tarnishing it. Sullying the good name of Doctors International. As much as Luther deserved to know, she didn’t look forward to that meeting.

  She scrambled to her feet when she noticed something fuzzy and black scampering across the floor. She absolutely hated spiders. She knew she’d encounter lots of undesirable critters on her trip, but she couldn’t stop the full body shudder.

  The spider made its escape through a small hole in a baseboard. Amelia ripped off another strip of tape and slapped it over the opening. It probably wouldn’t stop a determined arachnid, but it might slow him down.

  She’d just unzipped her luggage to unpack when a commotion had her returning to the main room to investigate. A small boy with a mess of black hair barreled inside the door.