Trifecta (13 page)

Robin had also taken the duplicates of the pictures from
Quijada's albums which showed some of Quijada's relatives.  There was a connection
between Quijada's cousin, who lived in Guadalajara, and the felon from the picture.

Robin traced Juan Carlos through numerous phone calls both
here in Los Angeles, with the police, and through calls to Mexico.

Robin spoke Spanish, so he called Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,
across the border from El Paso where he had tracked Juan, and explained that he
was a friend of Aaron Quijada's and had access to distribution smuggling routs into
the United States, through the southern tip of Baja California and also through
Tijuana that he wished to share if they had product, meaning heroin, cocaine and
marijuana.

"The interesting thing," Robin went on, "is
that this doesn't only involve Mexico.  These people, in the Mexican drug federation,
have personal contacts in the Colombian cocaine cartels.  They've bought protection
from Mexican police and politicians.  Quijada's name was all I needed to get the
meeting.  It was just a couple of low men on the totem pole, whom I met with last
night, but I recorded the meeting so I have it all on tape.  I named the people
I knew Quijada is involved with.  They didn't deny anything, but they didn't actually
say that they were working with Quijada."

"Unbelievable," Julia said.  The famous movie
mogul was also an international drug dealer.  It was mind boggling.  She couldn't
understand the motivation to sell something which caused such great harm for mere
profit.  The man was a dangerous sociopath.  And a murderer.

"They gave me some product and the injection.  I'll
notify the police of the date of the next meeting, so these people will be arrested,
but I want more information, to give to the police so they can get more details. 
If we know enough, we can bring Quijada down with what they will admit to for immunity."

"I want Quijada to go down for the murder of my brother,"
Julia said fiercely.

"I don't know if we can get that, Julia.  But Quijada
may have used some of these underworld thugs for the murder.  Again, they may be
willing to talk if we give them some form of immunity from prosecution on the drug
counts.  If they are involved in the murder, themselves, they will deny everything. 
That would put them behind bars here in the United States for the rest of their
lives.  On the other hand, if they know who did the murder, they might be willing
to spill for promise of immunity or a lesser sentencing count during prosecution
and trial."

Now Julia knew she had to get the stuff out of the safe. 
"Yes.  But they'll be frightened, if these men in the Mexican drug federation
are as deadly as you say.  They might be too scared to talk."

"We won't give them any alternative," Robin said
with a frown.  Julia wondered about his use of the word 'we.'  Maybe he was an undercover
cop himself.  He certainly seemed to know a lot.

"How did you get all the information about prosecution
and immunity?" Julia asked.

"You hired me.  I'm just doing my job."  Robin
was smiling down at her again.  She knew he was hiding something.

Robin went on.  "Now you understand why all of this
is so dangerous.  We're dealing with international drug dealers, and Quijada might
be one of the kingpins.  This isn't just a local problem, although he's probably
behind the sale of filthy drugs on the streets to school children in Los Angeles. 
But this goes way beyond Los Angeles, right into the heart of the powerful drug
cartels in Columbia.  The DEA will be in on this, as well as the police in several
countries.  I might have to keep the next meeting, with police surveillance, to
keep up their confidence."

"I just wanted justice for my brother," Julia
said slowly.  "But you're right.  We can get Quijada.  And maybe find out what
happened to Brian."

"So you won't go to work today," Robin said,
as if the subject were closed.

"Yes, I will.  And I'll get that information.  You've
convinced me how essential it is."

He surprised her by stroking her hair, very gently.  He
had not made a move toward her before.  Even the arm he had around her was just
holding her in place.  "No, Julia.  You're very brave.  I already know that. 
I want you safe."

It was hard to argue when he seemed genuinely concerned. 
"I'll be careful.  You've taken dangerous drugs to get Quijada.  You risked
your life.  And you know what?"

"What?" Robin asked.

"I think they gave you pure heroin.  But they overdosed
you, because they thought you were fat, and were going by a weight estimate."

Robin threw back his head and laughed.  "You're right. 
Probably believed I weighed three hundred pounds."

"They could have killed you.  It's not funny."

"Well, I was kind of concerned that they would find
my recorder.  Or figure out that I was wearing padding.  But they didn't even frisk
me."

"That seems unprofessional."

"You watch too much television.  They were just feeling
me out.  They sent underlings to meet with me."

"I bet they were armed."

"Oh, they were.  They made sure I knew it, too."

"Really?"

He nodded.  "So what do you think?"

"I think you're in way over your head.  You have to
go to the police now."

"I already did, before the meeting.  I was talking
about the reward."

Julia inched back.  "What did you have in mind?"

"When I was a little boy I had a dog named Scooter. 
It was a girl dog, and I slept with her every night, to my mother's profound distress,
I might add.  Anyway, this morning when I woke up, I thought I was hugging my dog
Scooter.  It was like a childhood regression, you know?  Kind of a youthful deja'vu?"

Julia smiled.  "That's kind of nice."

"Oh, it was," Robin said.  "She's the only
girl that's ever slept with me, all night long.  Except once.  Which was a mistake."

"Oh.  I'm the mistake?"

"No." 

"Sarah.  The woman at the restaurant," Julia
said, suddenly sure her guess was right, remembering the predatory and sulky red-head
who behaved like she owned Robin.

"I saw that little wave you gave her, when we left. 
That was wonderful," Robin said, laughing.  "Now, to the reward.  Do you
think I deserve it?"

"Well, let's see," Julia said, smiling and playing
along.  After all, she had fired him.  "You tracked down the thugs.  Had a
meeting with armed dealers.  Risked your life taking dangerous drugs.  And that
costume was inventive.  Hummm... Yes.  A small reward is indicated."

"Okay.  You're granting the reward, since I am now
unemployed, and you have two alternatives.  One choice, which is the one I urge
you to take, is that you stay away from Quijada and never go back to his place again."

"That's no choice," Julia said indignantly. 

 "The other one is that you let me hug you for a couple
of minutes before we get up."

"Shall we synchronize our watches?" Julia asked. 
"Two minutes only, Robin."

"I sure worked hard for two minutes," Robin complained. 
"I'll pretend you're my dog Scooter."

"I come in second place to the memory of a dog,"
Julia commented.  "But hey, that's okay."

"Don't knock it.  I loved that dog more than anything
in the world, at the time."

"Do you still have her?" Julia asked.

"You're stalling, Julia," Robin said.  "Come
here and get hugged."

"Only a matter of inches anyway," Julia muttered.

Robin turned over on his side toward her, and Julia moved
forward.  He was again exuding warmth, and he smelled of soap and clean skin.  He
pulled the sheet, which had fallen between them away, and she felt his arms folding
around her back and pulling her right up against him.  She leaned her forehead against
his chest and put her top arm up around his shoulder. 

"I don't have her anymore," Robin said.

"We can talk?" Julia asked, surprised.

"I didn't make any rules."  She could feel him
laughing rather than hear it in his voice.

"Well there should be rules," Julia said, remembering
that she wasn't wearing a bra under the thin tee shirt.  No rules was dangerous. 
Two minutes could be a very long time without any rules.

"Only rule is that it's two minutes," Robin said. 

"How can we tell when the time's up?" Julia asked. 

"I'll know."

"But will you tell me?"

"You said you trusted me, once."

"Yeah.  Maybe you should count."

"That would take away all the fun.  Now, to answer
the unasked question, I'm not going to do anything to you.  So you can relax.  You
feel stiff as a board, and you're shaking.  But you never have to be frightened
of me.  I would never hurt you in any way."

Robin was truthful.  Julia was a very tempting female in
every way.  She was smart and beautiful and he thought he had never hugged such
a gorgeous body.  But he had only to remember that he wanted this woman for the
rest of his life, and this space of time was nothing in that context.  He could
control himself easily when he thought of the consequences, if he got aroused or
scared her.  He might never get an opportunity like this again to prove to her that
she could trust him perfectly.  This type of situation would convince her that when
he made a promise he could be relied on.

Julia took a deep breath and tried relax and act nonchalant. 
"What happened to Scooter?"

"I got her when I was five.  Now I'm thirty-five. 
I would have loved to keep her forever, but unfortunately dogs don't live that long. 
She was a mutt, but she was smart and fun and affectionate.  So I kept her daughter,
who was Scooter Two.  And now I have the granddaughter, Scooter Three."

Julia smiled.

"I felt that."

Julia could feel a lot too.  He was a little aroused, but
not much, she could tell from the soft mass between his legs that pressed her lightly
on the legs.  He was breathing normally, not quickly at all, and she could see the
pulse in his throat.  She had to admit, he felt absolutely wonderful.  She could
have stayed there, warm and comfortable and safe, forever.  It would be tempting
to just forget about Quijada and the danger and drugs and justice for her brother.

"You desperately needed a hug, after all you've gone
through," Robin said.  "And you know, everyone talks about making out,
or having sex, but really, people basically just need to be hugged every once and
a while.  I got the impression that your Grandmother Charlotte is not a very affectionate
person.  And excuse me, but that doctor friend of your's, Alexander, is a real prick."

Julia started laughing.

"Am I right or what?" Robin asked, glad Julia
had had that response.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's a guy-thing.  I can tell a prick at a glance."

"Really?" Julia said.  "Alexander is a very
nice person.  He's smart and he likes me a lot."  Julia's planned defense for
the attraction she had felt for Robin, ever since she had come back to Los Angeles,
and even before that, she realized, had been to tell him that she was engaged to
marry Alexander.  She didn't want to lose that scheme, because Robin's appeal was
powerful.

"What about your girlfriend, Sarah?" Julia asked. 
"She is very pretty."

"She's not a girlfriend," Robin said.

"So you just sleep with her?"  She was trying
to keep her voice neutral, as though she was just seeking information and not pissed
off that he was going with a person who really wasn't even in his class.  She knew
it was irrational to think that Robin was too classy for Sarah, because he was a
mechanic, which meant he probably was not an intellectual person.  She was a snob
about education, but she liked to be with intelligent, educated people.  She also
knew that Sarah couldn't hold a candle in matters of class to Robin.

"Don't be bitchy."

"I was just seeking enlightenment.  Men seem to sleep,
rather haphazardlessly."

"So you have a bad feeling about Sarah.  And it's
a girl thing.  Like I have a guy feeling that Alexander is a piece of shit.  Excuse
the language."

"We should introduce them," Julia said, not caring
that she was bitchy.  "The two would probably be a perfect match." 

"What an extraordinarily good idea," Robin said
laughing.  "I can see it now.  Sarah would go for the Boston accent and the
point that he is a doctor.  She would overlook the fact that he's going bald and
is a totally boring nerd."

"And Alexander would look at Sarah sideways, like
he always does when he's checking someone out, but trying to act like he's not looking. 
He doesn't fool anyone, but he thinks he does."

"They would come to wordless accord.  He would want
her for sex..." Robin said.

"And she would want him for the bank account, nerd
or not," Julia finished for him.

She had been trying hard to keep from laughing herself,
but now she couldn't help it.

They clung and laughed hysterically, picturing the match.

After a while Julia sighed.  "I think the two minutes
is up."

"Yeah.  Guess so," Robin said.  "It was
better than watching a movie and eating popcorn."

"Better than ice cream?" Julia asked.

"Much.  Even better than racing your car with the
top down, singing with the oldies on the radio at the top of your lungs."

"Better than slow dancing?"

Robin nodded.  "Depends on the music.  And the partner. 
But yes, I think so.  Better than a hot shower on a cold morning."  "Better
than walking on the beach at night in the moonlight?"

He nodded.

"Better than watching a sunset?" Julia asked.

"Better than skiing.  And I love to ski," Robin
said.

She loved skiing too, but didn't say anything.  "I
think it is better than sex," Julia said consideringly.  She was just talking
out loud, because sex for her had not been too wonderful.  It was confusing because
she could have the urge, like she had right now, lying here with Robin, and then
she would be disappointed when it was over.