Just The Pits (Hetta Coffey Series, Book 5) (25 page)

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.—Buddha

There were only three public computers at the Internet café and they were occupied. Rather than yank the youngsters playing games on them out of their chairs by their scrawny little necks, I waved a five-hundred peso note under their noses. The first to grab it, a twelve-year-old by the looks of him, quickly abandoned his computer, politely ushered me into the seat and stayed around to see if he could help show the old Gringa granny how to use it.

He was clearly dumbfounded when my adrenaline infused fingers flew over the keys and quickly brought up my security site. He made a comment I didn't understand and others gathered around behind me, so there was no question of privacy, but I knew no one would have any idea what they saw on my screen was live and local.

Jan and Topaz were being tied up, Po Thang was no where to be seen, and that little rat Rosario was doing the tying. I vowed to unfriend him.

I activated the sound, hoping the soft click involved would alert Jan's sharp hearing that I was once again watching and listening. It evidently worked, for she looked straight past Rosario at the camera. "Rosario, listen to me. You can't trust that creep, you know."

"Julio has promised no one will be harmed. He only wants to talk with Hetta in person. To reason with her."

"Like he
reasoned
with Bert, Ozzie, John Warren and Safety?"

A gruff voice came from off camera, "Shut up, Blondie."

Rosario turned and looked toward the voice. "What is she talking about?"

"We think he killed them all," Jan blurted, but it was her last blurt. Julio Vargas rushed forward and stuffed a napkin in her mouth. One of my embroidered linens, I might add. At least he has good taste.

The people behind me in the Internet café moved in for a better look. I think they thought I'd tuned in to an American
telenovella
.

"Jan, Julio won't hurt you. He promised me."

Jan, although tied and gagged, managed a rude grunt and shot Rosario the finger.

Being so small in stature, Topaz looked as though she posed no threat to anyone, but I knew better. I didn't remember telling Rosario she was a cop, so maybe she'd have the advantage of surprise. Especially since it was obvious Rosario couldn't successfully secure a shoelace; he'd tied Jan's wrists in front of her and finished off the job with a bow, for crying out loud.

Rosario moved toward Topaz with a ball of what looked like string. I began to wonder if Rosario wasn't playing Julio himself. After all, he knew there were probably three or four hundred feet of line and a bag of at least two-hundred tie wraps on the spare bunk in the guest cabin. And he knew about the cameras, but evidently hadn't mentioned them to Vargas, as they were still running. I began to have hope.

I heard a whine off-camera. Rosario turned and said, "You know, Julio, we must take this dog out for his walk."

"Let the mongrel go."

Po Thang growled. I mean,
mongrel
?

"We cannot do that. If he is loose the marina personnel will bring him back."

"Then take the
pinche
dog out, but be quick about it. I'll keep an eye on these two. Damned earthquake. We should be half-way to Belize by now. On second thought, while you're out with the dog see what you can learn about the road. I...uh, we, can't stay around here forever."

"Why do we not just leave? What are we waiting for?"

"I need to know how much Coffey knows, and who she told."

"She won't tell you anything. Hetta is...well, scary. And very stubborn."

I'm scary? Good.

"Oh, yes she will. If she values her friends here."

"You said—"

"You know, Rosario, you were always a wimp, even in high school. I should have known better than to hire you for a job that takes a
real
man. Look, I know what I said, but if Coffey won't talk I'll make her, you understand? You had no trouble taking the money, did you,
hermano
? Man up. We will do whatever it takes to get out of here and we don't want a bunch of loose ends."

Texas women have an amazing sense of purpose when they lose it. They're the best girls in the world—they're loyal and fun, but when they get mad, they'll try to kill you.—John Cusack

Don't Mess With Texas—Hetta Coffey

Now me and my friends are just loose ends to be tidied up? I knew what that meant.

Anger fueled my feet. I didn't realize I could run so fast.

The minute I heard Julio Vargas tell Rosario to go ahead and take Po Thang for a walk, I knew what to do. I covered the three blocks to the marina in what seemed both seconds and hours. I had to catch Rosario and Po Thang before they went back into the boat. Po Thang is a creature of habit and I knew he'd stretch that walk as far as possible, and as long, sniffing everything and doing at least one or two false squats. This ritual I normally found annoying was suddenly his best trait.

Good dog.

I had to take my chances with Rosario. I didn't dare contact the cops, as they were most likely looking for some Gringa who abandoned a huge yellow monster on Mex 1 by now. I had shot a quick email to Nacho, but had no idea where
he
was, and anyone else I knew who would help me was definitely too far away.

I had to act now, and alone if I couldn't count on Rosario. And if Rosario interfered in any way, he'd end up badly. I wasn't sure how I would accomplish such a feat, but I can be one very determined, scary, stubborn woman when I have to be.

Man, oh, man, where are my guns when I need them?

When I reached the marina grounds, I entered through a back gate they left open most of the day for delivery and garbage trucks. From there I took the stairs to the second level, where the swimming pool and marina offices were. Luckily, the offices were on the opposite side of the building, and accessed via a different set of steps. Maintenance staff had left for the day and I thanked my lucky stars that I was pretty much the only occupied boat at the marina, meaning no nosy cruisers around.

Hugging the wall, I made my way to where I had an unhampered line of sight of the docks and the grounds. I didn't see Po Thang and Rosario at first, but had a clear view of the Port Captain's office next door. It occurred to me that they could see me, as well, but I knew they wouldn't think twice about a cruiser wandering around the pool area.

I spotted Rosario and Po Thang coming into the parking lot and hoped the dog didn't give me up. Scooting back down the stairs, I hugged the building near the ramp down to the docks. I knew for a fact that there was no way Po Thang was going down that ramp without one last shot at an oleander bush next to the building. I moved behind the bush, taking that dress off as I did so.

Now hidden from prying eyes at the Port Captain's office as well as anyone on the docks, I waited and sure enough, I heard Rosario say, "Oh, okay. One more stop, but that's it, you hear?"

About that time Po Thang either sensed, saw or smelled me. That smelled part was a serious possibility, as it had been a pretty stinky day for me. Anyway, he whined, barked and surged forward, dragging Rosario into range before he could put the brake on the twenty-five foot retractable leash. When he did, he sealed his fate. 

Throwing the dress over his head, I grabbed the leash and wound it around his neck and torso. Po Thang, still attached to the leash, was pulled into the mess and ended up bound to Rosario. Both dog and man were struggling, making matters worse. I managed to get Po Thang's collar released before he strangled, but Rosario wasn't so lucky. He stopped fighting, dropped to his knees and began gasping for air.

I kicked him onto his back and rolled him on the ground, unwinding the leash like a top, but not as fast. By the time I freed Rosario and pulled the tattered dress from his head, his lips were slightly blue. Po Thang bravely dashed in to administer his version of CPR, taking full advantage of an inert figure that couldn't reject his overactive tongue.

I was trying to recall my CPR training when Po Thang took matters into his own paws. He jumped into the middle of Rosario's chest, his front paws landing in the right spot to make Rosario cough and gasp.

There was a water hose nearby, so I turned it on and gave the still gasping Rosario a drink. Po Thang took this as a sign it was water toy time, lunged in and took the hose from me, happily spraying us all in the process.

Rosario, resuscitated and sprayed, focused on me with somewhat crossed eyes. "Hetta? How did you get here? I was told the road is still blocked."

"Later for that. Look, I know Julio Vargas hired you and that you're up to your scrawny neck in this embezzlement thing, but right now I have to trust you to help me get Jan and Topaz away from that boat."

"But—"

"No buts. If you help me I might, and that's a big might, let you live."

"He won't harm them."

"Really? And why not? Do you know Bert's and the others' houses burned to the ground Saturday night? And that their boat was found torched on Sunday? Your good friend Julio has most likely murdered four of your coconspirators. Why should he let you, me, Jan, Topaz, or anyone else involved, live? What's to keep him from taking the entire seven million and disappearing?"

"How did you know about the seven million?"

"Jan downloaded the contents of your laptop, that's how. You aren't the only one hacking into people's stuff."

"She did? You knew I was involved?"

"Yes, we finally figured it out. Tell me this, though, did you fake your own death and then throw suspicion on Bert, Ozzie, John and Safety?"

"Yes, Julio said that once we left the country, they would not be looking for me, and the other four would take the fall, but the mining company would rather take a loss than make such inept management known to the investors. Julio would stay for a time in Mexico City, indignant that these foreigners would steal from them, then he'd resign. No one would be hurt."

"Except it didn't quite work out that way, did it? "

Tears sprang into his eyes. "I was friends with those men. I never would have taken part had I know they would be harmed."

"We can talk morality later. Right now I need you to do something for me. We have to access the Internet, pronto."

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.—George Bernard Shaw

When Rosario, Po Thang and I rushed into the Internet café, the kid I'd given five hundred pesos to less than an hour before jumped up from his computer with his hand out. I greased his greedy little palm once again, thinking we had a young Rosario in the making here.

It cost me another two hundred so Po Thang could stay inside, but at least this time Rosario sent the onlookers packing, so we had some privacy.

I'd told Rosario what I needed done as we left via the back gate and made our way the few short blocks to the Internet café, so he went to work as soon as we arrived.

I bribed yet another kid away from his computer and accessed the security system on the boat. It's a good thing I'd hit the ATM in Mulege on Monday as the six thousand pesos I'd withdrawn was dwindling as fast as the financial status of the Mexican tween population improved.

The cameras showed Vargas pacing, clearly upset that Rosario was taking so long to return. He took his cell from his pocket and said, in English, "Vargas here. We are delayed due to the earthquake. It could be a few more hours."

He listened, a deep V forming between his eyes. "I don't care about the friggin' runway lights. We take off when I say so, lights or no."

He clearly didn't like what the other party said next. "Those marines can be bought. Or if necessary, take them by surprise when I call. There are only five or six of them. I will anchor off the runway, and come in to the beach by panga. You can taxi down the runway to meet me. We'll be well out of the country by the time the marines are found."

I had reached over and punched Rosario on the arm so he could hear what his ex-BFF had to say. Just as he leaned in to listen, Julio said to what was surely his pilot, "Yes, there will only be me. The others have been permanently delayed."

"You heard it, Rosario," I said. "We are the 'others' the bastard is talking about. Vargas plans to take us out on
my
boat, and feed us to the fish."

Rosario turned his fury at such rotten  betrayal onto his keyboard, determined to make his hacking job pay off. And pay
back
. 

As I watched, things quieted down on the boat. Jan had been un-gagged, at least, and Topaz sat there looking totally innocent, while I knew she was focused on ripping out Vargas's throat the minute she had a chance. Both still had their hands tied.

There was a knock on the boat's door. Vargas growled, "Finally," slid it open and stepped back in surprise at what he saw. He recovered quickly though, whipped what looked like a .45 from his waistband and yanked Doctor Diane Powell roughly into the main saloon. He shoved her down next to Jan. Lucky for her, Jan was still tied up.

"Oh, no," I moaned.

Rosario leaned over. "It's Diane! What is she doing there?"

And why do only the bad guys in Mexico seem to have guns?

Vargas, his frustration boiling over, yelled, "Who in the hell are you?"

"She's a boyfriend stealer, that's who," Jan said. "If you'll untie me I'll scratch her eyes out."

Diane moved away as far as she could from Jan without falling off the couch.

Vargas grinned. "Normally I would enjoy a good cat fight, but right now I simply don't have the luxury. Okay, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Diane's emerald eyes were wide with surprise and fear, but she said, "I was in Loreto when I heard of the earthquake and came here to see if Hetta, Jan, Po Thang  and Rosario were all right."

"How sweet of you," Jan meowed. "Rosario is out walking the dog and Hetta's still stuck at the mine because of a big landslide at
Cuesta
."

"I know about the slide, the marines at the roadblock south of Conception Bay told me. They weren't going to let me through, but having doctor in front of your name opens many doors in Mexico."

"You're a doctor?" Vargas asked.

"So what?" Jan spat. "Wait a minute, how did you know Rosario was here? He is, but he's supposed to be at Camp Chino. And speaking of, where is Chino?"

"As far as I know Doctor Yee is still at the camp. Rosario left two days ago and said he was coming here to meet a friend."

Jan tossed her head. "Well,
that
was clearly a lie; Julio Vargas is no one's
friend
."

Vargas's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How is it you know my name, Blondie?"

Oh, crap! Jan, shut up!
I willed. I grabbed my cell phone and called the boat.

This time I could see what happened when the phone rang. Vargas looked at the caller ID and handed the phone to Jan. "It's your buddy Hetta again. Go ahead and answer, but be very careful what you say."

Jan looked squarely at the camera as she spoke. Vargas leaned over so he could hear, getting dangerously near Topaz in the process. "Hetta, everything still okay at the mine?" Jan asked.

"Yes, but still no word on the road opening, although the mine has sent heavy equipment to help clear it. You know those babies can go offroad. Sure wish I could be there for our five o'clock cocktail hour. You know I
never
miss it."

"Five o'clock is your favorite time. And it's almost that now."

Vargas made a cut sign with his hand and Jan ended the call with a goodbye.

I leaned over to Rosario. "Set it up for four thirty."

He hit some keys. "It is done."

There was sudden movement on my screen and the sounds of a scuffle. As Jan was handing the cell phone back to Vargas, Topaz lashed out like a cobra, using both fists on Vargas's nose. He reeled  back and almost lost the hold on his gun. Blood spouted from his crushed nose, all over my couch and rug. I'd make him pay for that mess.

Jan, at first frozen with surprise, hip-bumped Diane onto the floor and began scooting off the settee, while Topaz did the same on the other side. Unfortunately Vargas recovered too soon and trained the gun on Jan. "Hold it right there. You, doc, get me a towel. What do I do for this nose?"

"Take at least four aspirin, blow your nose repeatedly, and lay down with your head back. Whatever you do, do not pinch your nostrils. And if you can, apply hot compresses, as hot as you can stand them."

Jan gave Diane a look meant to kill. "Traitor."

"I'm a doctor, remember?"

Vargas nodded gingerly, which let lose another gush of blood. He glared at Topaz. "I have clearly underestimated you women, so I'm going to lock you up so I can tend to my nose. When Rosario gets back, I will deal with you personally, and you will not like it."

Waving the gun, he herded everyone into my master cabin and jammed a chair against the lock. More blood leaked onto my stuff and I looked forward to breaking that nose even better for him.

I watched in dismay as Julio disappeared into the guest cabin where Topaz told him she had a bottle of aspirin and reappeared with a stack of my brand new guest towels.

"You know, Rosario, your friend Julio isn't as smart as he thinks he is. Don't you suppose he'd wonder why a woman he was holding hostage would be so free with helpful medical advice?"

Rosario shrugged. "Diane is a very special woman."

"So you say, and I tend to believe you. At least they're all away from him for now. And knowing at least two of them quite well, they are already untied and making plans. Let's take a look." I activated my bedroom camera and sure enough, Diane was untying Topaz. Jan, her hands still bound, was scrounging for weapons.

"Thanks, Diane," Topaz said, exercising her freed wrists.

Jan two-handed a can of hair spray she'd found in the head to Topaz and held out her arms. "How about undoing me, Diane?"

"I don't know. Are you going to scratch my eyes out?"

"Are you kidding? With that medical advice you gave Vargas, he'll be lucky not to bleed out or choke to death. And Topaz, way to go with that sucker punch. You two are my new best heroes. Well except for Hetta, of course. Hetta, have you been watching all this?"

Both Diane and Topaz looked puzzled, and I nodded, even though I knew they couldn't see me. I maneuvered the camera slightly, knowing Jan would catch the movement.

"Hetta can see and hear us?" Diane asked.

"Yep, she's somewhere nearby and planning something. What, I have no idea, but knowing her it's gonna be good, huh, Hetta?"

I waggled the camera.

"Five o'clock, right?"

Waggle.

"We'll be ready."

Waggle.