Danger at the Dive Shop

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  “Let me show you the room,” Angelina said, standing up.

  Kitty followed them to translate. It took a few minutes to deposit their luggage in the room next to Kitty’s.

  There were several empty places at the table and Penny chose one next to Lisa. She scooted away from Toto, an unhappy expression on her face.

  Penny signed, “Don’t worry about Toto. She’s a good dog and doesn’t put paws on folks unless she has reason to.”

  Kitty translated, but gave Penny a look. She’d never seen Toto put paws on anybody at all. Now she sounded like an attack dog.

  “Oh, the fish,” Angelina said, jumping up from the table again.

  “I’ll help,” Lisa said. Kitty suspected she was trying to get away from Toto. A few minutes later, when they returned to the table with a large platter of fried fish, Kitty noticed that Lisa snagged a chair between Andrew and Angelina, far from where Toto was.

  Chica started to move toward Lisa, and Kitty called her back. Her face went warm as Chica ignored her and inserted herself directly between Lisa and Angelina. “I’m sorry, that’s really not like her.”

  “It’s fine. Isn’t it, Chica?” Angelina rubbed her head and smiled.

  Lisa leaned away, clearly unhappy. The small hairs on the back of Kitty’s neck went up as she watched Chica perched beside Angelina, her German Shepherd head looking ridiculously large and much too close to the edibles on the table.

  Kitty wasn’t afraid Chica would eat from someone’s plate. She was protecting Angelina. But from what? Or whom? What could Kitty possibly say to Angelina that would make sense?

  Just as they started to pass the food, the door opened yet again and Leander appeared. “Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know it was dinner time. Just checking in on everybody here.”

  Kitty stood up, relief sweeping through her, and waved him to a seat across from her. “I’m sure there’s plenty.”

  “Yes, please. Sit down.” Angelina motioned to the chair across from her. “We’re used to people coming in and out at all hours.” Kitty thought Angelina gave a pointed look at Jenny, but it was probably her imagination. Lisa, Christina and Joan were the ones who stayed out late at the bars.

  Mark stood to shake Leander’s hand, and after casually greeting everyone, he sat down. Meeting Kitty’s eyes, he gave her the barest wink.

  She held his gaze and slowly made the smallest signs she could. Watch Chica.

  His gaze slid to Chica, and she could see him turning the scene over in his mind. Leander had grown up with a service dog, just like Kitty had. They didn’t wander over and sit next to other people. They were companion dogs in the truest sense. It didn’t matter who had the tastier scraps or better scratches behind the ears. They stayed beside you. You were their person, and that was their place.

  Lisa selected a few pieces of fresh pineapple and passed it along, then turned to Andrew, to her left. “How was your interview with the police?”

  There was an awkward pause. Kitty translated for Penny and Elaine, and they both leaned forward, eyes bright.

  “Fine. They seemed to think that it was real interesting that I was from Texas. So what if I am? About twenty five million other people live there, too. And I bet some of them come to Mexico for vacation.”

  “It’s because my uncle Coleman is… was Senator Larson’s brother,” Mark said. He didn’t look up as he speared a few slices of papaya from the platter in front of him.

  Kitty did her best to scan the faces at the table, making mental notes. There were quite a few people who weren’t at all surprised by the news. Andrew clearly hadn’t made the connection and it took him a second or two before he could go on.

  “Well, that makes sense, then.” He looked at Leander. “And explains why you’re here.”

  “Yes. The Larson family asked the embassy to send someone to assist the local police.” Taking a sip of water, Leander looked around. “I’m going to do my best to make sure the investigation goes quickly, and everyone is released to return to the states as soon as possible.”

  Christina let out a little sigh. “No offense, but I don’t think an embassy secretary is going to convince these guys to let us go.” Her babyish voice carried through the courtyard.

  As Kitty translated, she saw Penny and Elaine make matching expressions of dislike. They couldn’t even hear Christina and they didn’t like her.

  “I have degrees in psychology, criminology, and forensics. I have a master’s of science in foreign service, with continuing education in international relations from Georgetown.” Leander placed a piece of fried fish in his taco and drizzled on the cream sauce. “That might help a little.”

  Kitty couldn’t help grinning. She’d heard the first three degrees before, when she herself had questioned how Leander could possibly be useful to them in their first murder investigation. She’d just assumed that was the end of the list. Taking a sip of water, she tried to focus on being grateful and not feeling woefully undereducated.

  “Huh.” Christina didn’t sound convinced and decided to focus on her plate, forking some salad out of the bowl and sprinkling the green leaves with sunflower seeds. “So, you’re qualified to take our fingerprints and be diplomatic about it?”

  “That’s about right, but not before I eat,” he said, smiling.

  Chica let out a low growl and Lisa jumped in her chair. “Your dog is awful,” she exclaimed.

  “I’m so sorry.” Kitty hurried to Chica, slipping a finger under her collar. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s never like this.” Unless she’s near a murderer.

  “Look, she’s trying to eat Angelina’s food,” Joan laughed, pointing.

  Kitty froze. Chica had forced her head under Angelina’s arm and was blocking her from the food on her plate.

  Leander was already on his feet. He met Kitty’s gaze and she knew what was going through his mind. The last time they had solved a murder together, the killer had tried to poison Kitty by leaving her favorite drink outside her cabin door. Chica had forced her away from the tainted strawberry margarita, tipped off by her excellent sense of smell, or perhaps her psychic ability. Kitty didn’t care what had told Chica that the drink was deadly. She just knew that she wouldn’t be standing in front of them today if Chica hadn’t insisted, just as she was right now.

  “Chistosa perra,” Angelina said. Giggling, she dodged Chica and snagged a piece of fish from her plate, popping it into her mouth.

  “Wait! I― I don’t think you should eat that.” Kitty felt her pulse pounding in her ears. “Something’s wrong with it.”

  Everyone at the table froze.

  “What? Why do you say that?” Joan asked, her voice high.

  “I mean that Chica is trying to keep her from eating it. She doesn’t want the food.” Kitty reached over and picked up Angelina’s plate. Chica growled low in her throat and glared at the dish. Moving away from the table a few feet, Chica followed her.

  “She just wants a bite. Give her a bite,” Lisa said. She mumbled under her breath, “Never thought I’d have to eat with all these dogs.”

  Leander headed for the kitchen. “I’ll get another plate. Then we’ll see if she’s just looking for scraps.”

  As Kitty stood there, Angelina’s full plate in one hand and the other on Chica’s collar, she mentally thanked Leander for not laughing in her face. To everyone at the table, it was clearly a case of bad dog behavior. They simply didn’t understand how service dogs were trained. Stealing food from anyone’s plate was unthinkable. No, Chica had been trying to tell her something, and she was listening.

  She met Penny’s gaze and realized that not everyone at the table thought Chica was hungry for tacos. Elaine’s eyes were wide and she pushed her plate away.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the tacos,” Ren said. “They’re delicious.” He lifted another, giving a mock salute to the table and took a big bite.

  Jenny looked less convinced, but she took a bite as well. As she chewed, she fiddled wi
th the red string around the end of her braid.

  “It’s okay, Kitty. These things happen.” Mark sounded tired, but didn’t look too angry at having his girlfriend’s dinner interrupted. “Nobody’s perfect, even a great dog like Chica.”

  Leander returned from the kitchen with another plate. He set it in front of Angelina. The whole table was watching to see what Chica did next.

  “Just stick her in the room so we can eat,” Andrew said. “I don’t know why she has to be at the table, anyway. It’s not like you’re deaf.”

  Kitty felt her face go hot, but she ignored Andrew.

  Chica didn’t move. As Angelina served herself salad, pineapple, black beans, and corn, Chica stayed focused on the plate in Kitty’s hand.

  Leander met Kitty’s gaze. Whatever was on that plate was dangerous, and Chica knew it.

  “See? Everything is fine,” Angelina said, giving Kitty a kind smile.

  “You’re right,” she said. But she didn’t know where to put the plate. If it went back on the table, someone else might eat from it.

  “For heaven’s sake. I’ll take it to the kitchen,” Lisa said, sounding thoroughly put out about the whole situation.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll set it over here.” Kitty walked toward the bench. She wasn’t convinced Lisa wouldn’t throw it away. Placing it by the wall, she slowly walked away. Chica didn’t follow her. Apparently setting far away from the group was enough.

  “Whatever,” Lisa mumbled.

  “See? Everything is okay,” Angelina said. She coughed and cleared her throat a few times. “Ugh. Fish bone.”

  “Sorry, babe. I tried to get them all. Have some water,” Mark said, pointing to her bottle on the table.

  She reached out and knocked it over. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” It took her a few moments to set it up right again and the water soaked through the tablecloth. Bringing it to her mouth, she took a sip, coughed, and took another drink. This time the water dribbled down her chin.

  “Angelina?” Mark asked, standing up from his chair.

  “Fine. I’m fine,” she said, but her words were slurred. “My mouth feels bad.”

  Leander was at her side, taking her chin in his hand. “Do you feel numb? Double vision?”

  She didn’t answer and he switched to Spanish.

  “Sí,” she said, but it sounded like “thee”. She put a hand to her dark hair, as if her head was hurting, and the next moment, she slumped over in her chair.

  Screams split the air, dogs barked, and most of the table jumped up to help. Leander carefully lowered Angelina to the ground.

  Oh, Lord, please help her! Kitty felt frozen in horror. All she could do was pray.

  Mark rushed to call an ambulance and the sound of his panicked voice rose over the hubbub of the group.

  The mystery of Chica’s devotion to Angelina was finally answered. Her life had been in danger all along. Chica had known the killer was stalking Angelina, and now Kitty was sure that the psychopath was someone at that very table.

  Angelina’s eyes were wide and white froth dotted her lips. She tried to speak, her face contorting as her limbs moved in a jerky pattern.

  “She’s not choking on anything,” Leander said after trying to clear her airway and turning her onto her side. Angelina’s eyelids drooped unevenly. “Facial paralysis, numbness, breathing problems.” He looked up at Kitty. “She’s been poisoned.”

  Kitty crouched beside him and took Angelina’s twitching fingers in her own. She prayed fervently as she watched this lovely, sweet girl who had treated Chica with such kindness slip away.

  Chapter Eight

  “Though lovers be lost, love shall not;

  And death shall have no dominion.”

  ― Dylan Thomas

  Kitty opened her eyes and for several terrifying seconds couldn’t remember where she was. Her neck was stiff from sleeping on the hard chair and her eyes felt like someone had thrown sand in them. The next moment, the horror of Angelina’s poisoning rushed back and Kitty sat up straight. Her book had fallen onto the floor and she picked it up, carefully checking for loose pages.

  Standing up, she walked to the small window and looked out at the darkened parking lot below. She’d prayed so long and so hard that she was left with nothing more than tears, and eventually she’d fallen asleep.

  She checked her phone. Five in the morning. Leander had promised to update her as soon as he could, but she hadn’t seen him in hours. Maybe he’d forgotten or had gone back to the dive shop to help the police look for evidence.

  The waiting room was distinctly unpleasant with its beige walls, scuffed floor, and flickering overhead light. There was a large water color painting of sailboats hung crookedly on the wall. The vending machine in the corner advertised café caliente, but when Kitty had fed it a few coins, it had blinked and gone back to displaying zeros. The vending machine gods had rejected her offering and there would be no hot coffee for her that night.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and wished Chica was there for company. Kitty had only been concerned with getting Angelina to the emergency room and when Penny and Elaine had offered to watch Chica for her, Kitty had joined Leander as he raced after the ambulance. Maybe it hadn’t been her place, since Mark was there, too, but Kitty wanted to be helpful in any way she could. So far that had consisted of warming the uncomfortable waiting room chairs and being ignored by hospital staff.

  The door opened and Leander entered the room. He looked utterly exhausted. “I’m glad to see you, but I was almost hoping you’d gone home. You’ve been waiting a long time.”

  “It’s okay,” Kitty said. “Thank you for…” She wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. For helping Angelina? For coming back? For remembering she was waiting? It had been such a terrible day and all she wanted was to escape back to her room and curl up with Chica, but all the sleep in the world wouldn’t erase what had happened in the last twenty four hours.

  For a moment he stood there, as if undecided what to do, then he opened his arms.

  Kitty walked into them and tried her best not to cry, which apparently wasn’t enough because tears leaked from the corners of her eyes despite her best efforts. Men didn’t like women who cried into their shirts. Being over-emotional had never won anybody any points, but Kitty couldn’t completely keep everything bottled up inside. It seemed like this nightmare of a day would never end.

  “Angelina was so kind and so young,” Kitty said. “And so in love.” She remembered what those years it had been like, with the world ahead of her, and everything a bright and shining possibility.

  “They’ve put her on life support,” Leander said against the top of her head.

  Kitty stepped back, wiping her eyes. “Life support? She’s still―?”

  “Yes, she’s still alive. Mark is staying with her now that she’s stabilized, but it looks like puffer fish poisoning.” He paused. “I’m sure you know all about puffer fish.”

  Kitty nodded. As hopeful as she felt hearing that Angelina was still alive, poisoning was one of those horrible scenarios that all tour guides feared. One type of puffer fish was a delicacy in Japan, but fugu was very carefully prepared and controlled. The little spiny fish that lived in the Cozumel reefs contained tetrodotoxin, a substance a thousand times more deadly than cyanide. Causing paralysis and eventual suffocation, there was enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill thirty adult humans. There was no known antidote. The only chance of recovery was to place the person in a coma on artificial life support, and wait for the body’s natural metabolism to process the toxin.

  “The police are sure it’s an accident,” Leander said.

  Kitty rolled her eyes. “They honestly think Mark or Angelina caught a puffer fish by accident and fried it up for tacos?”

  “There’s no evidence to the contrary and they don’t think this is related to Coleman Larson’s murder.”

  “That’s a little premature, since they don’t know why he was murdered.” She realized t
hey were alone for the first time since he’d arrived. There was so much she needed to know. “Have they done an autopsy? How many times was he stabbed?”

  “Preliminary autopsy showed seven stab wounds to the upper torso,” he said.

  “Seven? That’s a lot, isn’t it? I don’t know much about it, but…” She mimed stabbing Leander with a knife. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…

  “Seven feels like a lot. If anything, it’s not very efficient. I mean, if I were going to stab someone, I’d aim for the heart.”

  Leander smiled down at her. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “But this had been a sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose,” Kitty said, quoting the book she’d just put down.

  He cocked his head and stared into space for a moment, clearly struck by the implication of her words. “Yes, passion. He was stabbed from the front. There was no sign of any contusions on his scalp, so I think he was conscious, knew the person who killed him, and wasn’t afraid of them.”

  “Angelina said something that caught my attention,” Kitty said. “Coleman took people out at night regularly. The night before I found his body, Mark said he wasn’t available when we had a meeting. Everyone was upset that we hadn’t gone to Punta Molas yet. Then Andrew said tonight that he and some of the others had gone out with another diving company this afternoon, and were planning another trip in the morning.”

  “So, you think maybe one of them persuaded him to make another trip out there, they killed him and drove the boat back? That would narrow it down a little.”

  “It might,” she agreed. Her eye was twitching fiercely and she pressed it with the heel of her hand. “Joan, Lisa and Christina share a room. They might notice if one of them snuck out. I didn’t get the feeling any of them were able to drive a speedboat.”

  “Or were obsessed with the treasure,” Leander said.