The Nephew

by Claude Bouchard

  “What did she say?” Chris pressed on.

  Carlos smiled briefly despite his tears. “She told me forget about anything the bastards wanted and to make sure I stayed safe. Then one of them took the phone back and told me to either find Fernando for them or pay two million dollars if I wanted my mother back alive.”

  “Two million dollars?” Chris exclaimed. “Is that what your father took from them?”

  “Please don’t call him my father,” said Carlos, “My mother is in danger because of that idiot, and no, I don’t believe he took that much from them but, who knows?”

  “This is ridiculous,” said Chris. “Where do they expect you to get that kind of money?”

  “I’m sure they don’t think I can get anywhere near that,” Carlos replied. “I’m a junior programmer taking night classes to get my degree. I don’t have any money.”

  “Have you contacted the police?” asked Chris.

  Carlos shook his head. “They told me they would kill my mother if I reported this and I have no doubt they would do it.”

  “What about her job?” Chris continued. “Won’t they wonder why she’s not showing up?”

  “She’s currently on vacation,” said Carlos, “This past week and next. I’m on vacation too and we were planning to take a few day trips together but this happened so I came here.”

  “How did you know where to find me?” asked Chris.

  Carlos hesitated then replied, “I got your address in mom’s stuff.”

  “My address is not publicly listed,” said Chris. “Where did she get it?”

  “She, uh, I, uh,” Carlos mumbled, turning red. “Okay, she didn’t have your home address but she had the address of your wife’s art gallery, Taylor’s.”

  Chris gazed at him and said, “Go on.”

  “She also had some newspaper and magazine clippings about the gallery, some with photos,” Carlos continued. “I got here yesterday and saw your wife was at the gallery. When she left, I followed her home. I’m sorry. I know it sounds creepy but I had to find you.”

  “You could have spoken to her at the gallery and had her call me,” Chris retorted, “And why didn’t you come talk to me when you got here yesterday?”

  “I was tired and I was scared,” Carlos replied. “I almost didn’t come here this morning but they have mom.”

  Chris remained silent for a moment then asked, “What are you expecting from me? What were you hoping for by coming to see me?”

  “I don’t really know,” Carlos admitted. “I just had nobody else to turn to and I knew I couldn’t deal with this alone.”

  Chris nodded and asked, “Where are you staying?”

  “I stayed at a B&B in town overnight,” said Carlos, “But I checked out before coming to see you. They still have room for me if I go back but I figured if things didn’t pan out with you, I’d be heading back to Toronto today.”

  “Here’s what I propose,” said Chris. “You know who I am and I’m pretty sure who you are but I have to be convinced so we have a bit of work to do. Once we’re done, and assuming I’m convinced, you’ll get all the help you need and then some.”

  “Uh, okay,” said Carlos. “What’s the work we need to do?”

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Chris replied. “You’re going to have to trust me and give me your full cooperation. Agreed?”

  “I’m just not sure what I’m agreeing to,” said Carlos.

  “You’re agreeing to get your mother back home safely,” said Chris. “Are you in or not?”

  “Looks like I’m in,” said Carlos.

  “Good,” said Chris. “Now, give me your wallet then stick around here while I go make a few calls.”

  * * * *

  Barry residence, Knowlton, Quebec, 2:17 p.m.

  “Are we almost done here?” asked Carlos. “This is freaking me out.”

  “Just a few more questions,” replied Discreet Activities operative, Leslie Robb. “Now, when are you supposed to get back to them?”

  Carlos sighed in frustration. “I already told you, the guy said he’d call me on Monday to see what I had come up with.”

  “Right,” said Leslie, “And what’s his name?”

  “I don’t know his name,” Carlos stated, not for the first time.

  Jonathan approached, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “This is getting old. Who are you working with?”

  “You mean my job?” asked Carlos, confused. “I already told you where I work.”

  “No, not your job,” said Jonathan, leaning close. “This is obviously a scam. You’re trying to get some cash from your alleged uncle. Who’s in this with you?”

  “Nobody’s in this with me,” Carlos snapped, raising his voice. “I’m telling you the truth.”

  “You expect me to believe you didn’t come here to extort money from Chris?” Jonathan snarled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if your gang story is a load of crock. I bet your mother is in on this.”

  “Fuck you,” Carlos retorted. “I came here to ask my uncle for help because my mother, his sister, was kidnapped. I don’t know who the hell you are but I’ll go find her myself. Get this shit off of me.”

  Jonathan turned to Leslie and said, “We’re done. Unplug our friend and bring him out back.”

  “I’m getting out of here,” said Carlos as Leslie began removing the polygraph connections.

  “You’ll come out and see Chris and his wife,” Jonathan replied. “If you try to leave before that happens, Leslie will hurt you.”

  Without another word, Jonathan left the study and made his way to the terrace where Chris waited with Sandy.

  “So, how’d it go?” asked Chris as Jonathan joined them.

  Jonathan grinned. “I pissed him off but I’m confident he’s playing straight.”

  “I didn’t find anything off either,” said Chris, who had been busy digging into all available records to confirm Carlos’ identity. “Work and school is like he said. No police record, not even a parking ticket. Donna checks out too as far as address and employer goes. Sandy called her place of work and was told she was on vacation. Cell phone and other utilities pan out as well. I believe I have a nephew and my sister has been kidnapped by MS-13.”

  The patio door slid open and a sullen Carlos emerged followed by an amused looking Leslie.

  “Come and have a seat,” said Chris.

  Carlos marched across the terrace and dropped into a chair, stone-faced.

  “Sorry if we were tough on you,” said Jonathan. “We needed to be sure who we were dealing with.”

  “Did I pass your damned test?” Carlos retorted.

  “You mean the polygraph?” Jonathan replied. “Yes, although it’s not completely reliable, but you’ve convinced us you’re telling the truth.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” said Carlos with obvious sarcasm. “It’s not the impression I had from where I was sitting.”

  “Okay, enough of this,” Chris stepped in, glaring at his nephew. “I didn’t even know you existed until you showed up here this morning. If you thought I’d simply believe whatever you told me and dive in blindly to help you, you’d better think again. As it turns out, we are in a position to do something about this and we will. What you are going to do is drop the attitude, understand?”

  Carlos stared blankly back and nodded then said, “I’m sorry, and you’re right. I’m just freaking out because it’s not like I know how to deal with this kind of situation.”

  “The good news is, we do,” said Jonathan.

  “You do?” Carlos asked, surprised. “My mother was kidnapped. You know how to handle something like that?”

  “We do,” Jonathan repeated.

  “Are you cops?” asked Carlos with concern. “They warned me not to go to the police.”

  “We’re not cops,” Jonathan confirmed.

  “Then who are you?” Carlos demanded.

  “You don’t need to know that,” said Jonathan. “All you need to know is, as C
hris mentioned, we are in a position to help get your mother back.”

  “You guys put me through the wringer but won’t even tell me who you are?” Carlos retorted. “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “You came to me for help,” Chris reminded.

  “Maybe that was a bad idea after all,” Carlos muttered. “Maybe I should just get the hell out of here and figure this out myself.”

  “I told you to lose the attitude,” said Chris, “And you aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Why not?” asked Carlos. “Are you going to stop me if I try to leave?”

  Chris gazed at him with a faint smile. “To start, you’d need your keys which you had left on the counter. Secondly, Jon and Leslie’s cars are blocking yours. Last of all, yes, I’ll stop you if you try to leave. Your mother, my sister, is in danger and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you go play superhero and get her and yourself killed. I’ll tie you up and lock you in somewhere if I have to.”

  Carlos awarded Chris with another blank stare, remaining silent for a moment before uttering, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Very,” Chris replied. “The Mara Salvatrucha are nasty bastards and even if you showed up with the cash they asked for, they’d just take it, blow your head off and kill Donna. We’re going to do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.”

  “But how?” asked Carlos. “We don’t even know who took my mother or where she is.”

  “We’ll figure that out,” Chris promised. “What we need from you is any information you know about gang members Fernando dealt with, places he may have mentioned he goes to, anything that could give us a lead.”

  “I haven’t spoken to him in years,” said Carlos. “He tried to stay in touch with me after the divorce but gave up after a while. I don’t even know where he lives.”

  “What about Mara members he dealt with?” Chris repeated. “Do you remember any of them?”

  “Danilo came to our place a few times,” Carlos replied. “I don’t know his last name. Fernando also mentioned Gabriel often but I never saw the guy. I think he was a leader or at least someone important.”

  “That’s good,” said Chris, typing on his iPad. “Anything else?”

  “Not off the top of my head,” said Carlos. “We are talking a few years back so I was younger and mom did everything she could to shield me from his crap. She might have stuff which could help. I know she kept files. I could go see what’s there.”

  “Excellent idea,” Chris agreed before glancing at Leslie. “Are you good to go with him?”

  “You don’t trust me to go alone?” Carlos interjected.

  “I don’t want you to be alone if the Mara decide to send someone to check in on you,” Chris replied.

  Carlos sneered and said, “You’re sending a fashion model to be my bodyguard?”

  Leslie gazed at Carlos and smiled. “I’m sure you and I can get along marvellously. Just don’t make me beat your ass.”

  “I can guarantee she can do it,” Chris warned. “I suggest you be nice to her.” Glancing at his watch, he looked at Leslie and asked, “How soon can you go and how do you want to get there?”

  “I’m ready to go now and we’ll drive,” Leslie replied. “No sense wasting time with airports and car rentals. Come on, Carlos. Let’s go for a ride.”

  * * * *

  Maynooth, Ontario, 5:32 p.m.

  “What happened to your face?” asked Danilo Mejia as he entered the remote cottage, one of several indirectly owned by the Toronto MS-13 faction.

  “The bitch hit me with a chair,” muttered Edwin Chavez.

  Danilo, the faction’s second in command, laughed. “You got beat up by an old lady? Fucking wuss.”

  “She took me by surprise when I brought her lunch,” Edwin snapped. “Smacked her a couple of times and cuffed her to the bed. Bitch didn’t get to eat either.”

  “Don’t get too rough on her,” Danilo warned. “She can’t help us find Fernando if she’s dead.”

  “She ain’t dead,” Edwin retorted. “I barely touched her.”

  “Keep it that way,” Danilo ordered. “She’s the only leverage I’ve got.”

  “Fine, but after we find Fernando, I’m gonna deal with the bitch,” Edwin promised.

  “You’ll do what I tell you to do,” said Danilo. “Got it?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Edwin muttered.

  “Good,” said Danilo, closing the subject. “Did you guys get anything out of her?”

  “Not besides ‘Fuck you’ and ‘Eat shit and die’,” replied Jose Ortez, the other guard. “She is kinda pissed that we grabbed her.”

  “Maybe she’ll be more open with an old friend,” said Danilo. “I’ll go say hello.”

  He headed down the hallway to a small room near the kitchen where their prisoner was being held. He paused for a moment then slid the deadbolt back, pushed the sturdy door open and entered.

  She half-sat, half-laid on the bed lined up against the far wall, staring at nothing directly ahead of her. She didn’t react to the intrusion and Danilo took a few seconds to gaze at her. She hadn’t changed very much since he had last seen her, close to ten years earlier, still attractive, perhaps less gaunt, a bit more gray in her hair. He had always liked Donna and, back when they were younger, had occasionally suggested she dump Fernando to be with a real man, namely him. However, her mindset had changed by the time she had actually left the bum and she would have never been interested in hooking up with a full-fledged gang member.

  “Hey, Donna,” he said, breaking the silence. “It’s been a long time.”

  She turned her head and glared at him. “Not long enough, you son of a bitch.”

  “I know you’re not happy about this,” said Danilo, “But it’s not personal, it’s business.”

  “Fuck yourself, you piece of shit,” Donna retorted. “I have nothing to do with you assholes so how can you tell me this is business?”

  “Your husband ripped us off,” said Danilo.

  “That fucker is not my husband,” Donna snapped back. “I haven’t had anything to do with that piece of shit since the divorce almost eight years ago so what the hell am I doing here?”

  “Fernando still cares about you,” Danilo replied.

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass what he cares about,” said Donna. “He’s out of my life and I’m out of his but now you’re making me pay for his crap.”

  “When he finds out we have you, he’ll come out of hiding,” Danilo insisted.

  Donna laughed. “If you really believe that, you’re dumber than I thought. You really think he’ll get himself killed for me? He’s not too bright but even he knows you’re going to kill us both.”

  “It doesn’t have to end that way,” said Danilo. “If Fernando gives us back what he took, we’re going to let you go. We just have to find him to let him know that.”

  “You’re full of shit,” said Donna.

  “I’m serious,” Danilo insisted. “My boss knows you have nothing to do with this. I told him we should leave you alone once we find Fernando and he agreed.”

  Donna sneered. “Sure thing, Dani-boy. Bet you won’t have the balls to be there when your puppets kill me. Bet you’ll even let them torture and rape me first, especially if you’ve got Fernando there to watch.”

  Danilo’s gaze turned hard but he remained silent.

  Donna smiled faintly and added, “You see, I’m right, you lying hypocrite.”

  “You can think what you want,” said Danilo after a moment, “But I can only show you’re wrong by finding Fernando and you can help me do so.”

  “Fuck you, Danilo,” Donna replied. “I wouldn’t help you even if I knew where to find him.”

  “You must have some way to reach him,” Danilo suggested. “What if there was an emergency? What if something happened to Carlos?”

  Donna’s face darkened with anger. “You stay the hell away from my son, you bastard. He has nothing to do with this or you, even less than me.” />
  “As you already know, we already asked him to help,” said Danilo, “And I’m told he seemed willing.”

  “I told him to disappear,” Donna retorted. “He would have less chance of finding Fernando than I would and where do you expect him to get the kind of money you asked for?”

  “I don’t,” Danilo admitted, “But I figured I’d give him some ridiculous option to encourage him to track down Fernando. Based on what you just said though, it seems I’m right thinking you could find him more easily.”

  “Leave Carlos out of this,” Donna insisted. “He’s a good kid and he really can’t help you.”

  “Then you help me,” said Danilo. “If you do, I don’t need Carlos.”

  Donna stared at him for a moment then asked, “Why should I believe you?”

  Danilo shrugged. “Because you have no choice but also, because you have my word. I always liked you and I really mean it when I tell you we’ll let you go but, Fernando needs to pay for his mistakes. If he doesn’t, someone else will. It’s up to you.”

  “Some way, somehow, you’ll pay if you lying to me,” said Donna. “That’s a promise.”

  Remaining solemn, Danilo nodded.

  Donna sighed and said, “I have a number for a phone Fernando rarely uses. He insisted I keep it in case I ever needed to reach him.”

  “This number is on your phone?” asked Danilo.

  “No,” Donna replied, shaking her head. “He asked me not to save it in my contacts to keep it as private as possible.”

  “Okay,” said Danilo. “So, what is the number?”

  “I don’t know it by heart,” said Donna. “I wrote it down somewhere.”

  “Where is it?” asked Danilo.

  Donna hesitated then said, “You want me to trust you so I’ll ask you to trust me.”

  “What do you propose?” asked Danilo.

  “Take me home and I’ll give you the number,” Donna replied. “I may even have some other information which could help.”

  “Like what?” Danilo demanded with interest.

  “Places he’s stayed at on trips,” said Donna. “Names of a few old friends he’s stayed in touch with. Stuff like that.”