I threw my hands up to shoo the bird out of my window. “Shit! My heart’s racing now.”
“Mine too.” She looked down at Hugo. “I thought something happened to you, you big dummy. What’s the matter? You can’t handle a little bird?”
I held a hand to my chest. “Yeah, Hugo. Geez!” I glanced over at Francesca. “But Dexter said he left me a present. I wonder what it is?”
Francesca and I walked back into the living room, her keeping a hand on Hugo’s collar. I scanned the open floor plan. My kitchen and living room were really just one big room. My eyes crawled across every square inch, looking for anything that didn’t belong. My eyes finally settled on a small white box on my kitchen counter. It sat amongst the cluttered mess of candy wrappers and tequila bottles, and I just about missed it.
I strode over to it and lifted it off the counter. “This isn’t mine.” A closer inspection told me it was a watch box from a fancy jewelers, and it was tied shut with a ribbon.
“Be careful, maybe it’s a bomb…”
I shook my head. “Nah, I don’t think it’s a bomb. It’s too light.” I gave it a little shake. Something was in there. Curious, I pulled the ribbon off and let it fall to the floor. I pulled back the hinged lid.
My eyes widened when I saw the contents. “Holy shit,” I said before snapping the box shut and dropping it onto the counter. I pushed myself back and spun around, giving Francesca my back.
36
“Oh my God, Danny, what is it?”
Standing with my back to the counter, my knees threatened to buckle and I felt light-headed. Anger, fear, and sadness all bubbled up inside my chest. I couldn’t speak.
I heard her walk over to the box.
I held a hand backwards towards her. “You don’t wanna look at it,” I whispered, over the lump in my throat.
She stared down at the box weakly. “What is it?”
“It’s the engagement ring I gave Pam.”
Francesca was silent for a moment. “They gave you back the engagement ring? What’s so wrong with th…”
I turned in time to see her opening the box. Her eyes were huge as her hand moved to cover her mouth. She snapped it shut almost immediately. “That’s not…?”
“It is.” I went to the sink and opened up the faucet to let cold water pour over my hands. I leaned in and splashed my face with the water. I had to wash away the image of Al’s pinky finger wearing Pam’s ring from my brain.
“B-but how do you know it was…”
“I know, alright. I know what Al’s gnarled old hands look like. I know. It was his.”
Francesca swallowed hard. “I know they told you not to get the island police involved, but maybe it’s time we get Sergeant Gibson in on this. We’re in over our heads, Danny. We can’t do this alone.”
“They’ll kill them both if we do,” I whispered. “If Pam’s not already dead. I almost feel like she’s dead now. There’s no way they pried that engagement ring off her finger if she’s still alive. She loved that ring.”
“You’ll do a lot of things if a gun’s pointed at your head,” said Francesca.
My head began to spin. This seriously wasn’t happening. Pam was dead and Al was next. How would I ever tell Evie that I’d gotten Al killed? How could I ever forgive myself if Al died due to my recklessness? What would I do without my best friend in Paradise?
I had to sit down before my knees buckled beneath my weight. I stumbled over to the sofa and fell down onto it. Hugo plodded over to me and put his head on my lap like he understood the utter sense of defeat I felt to my core. “I don’t understand, Frankie. How did they know?”
Still in shock, she looked down at me. “Know what?”
“About Al? And about Pam? And about Mack? And about the money? Who the hell is this Dexter guy? How did I ever get on his radar?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s what we’re going to have to figure out if we want to find him.”
“No.” I waved a hand in the air. “We won’t need to find Dexter. Dexter’s going to find us. He’s desperate now. He wants that money. And I’m going to give it to him. Every last red cent of it. It’s blood money now. I have to do whatever it takes to get Al and Pam back. I only pray they’ll still be alive.”
Francesca lowered her head, and Hugo trekked over to be by her side. She patted him softly.
When the room had gone still, my eyes suddenly began darting around. “It’s like he’s got a fucking bug in here. Is that it?” I jumped up and spun around. “Does he have a fucking bug in here? Is that how he knew about Al? And Mack? And Pam?”
Francesca looked around too. Like my idea had merit. “Maybe. Obviously we were talking with Al in here last night. I assume Mack’s spent a little time here.”
I couldn’t even look her in the eye as I nodded.
“What about Pam? Has she been in here?”
“No, never!”
“Had you ever spoken about her in here?”
I couldn’t think of a single time before Pam had been taken that I’d spoken her name aloud. Not in my room. Not outside of my room. Not since she’d shown up on the island. “I don’t think so…” And then a memory hit me. “Oh, wait! I did have a conversation with Mack about her.”
“When?”
“The night Pam showed up at the resort. Mack saw us together in the lobby that morning, so that evening we had to have this whole long conversation about the status of our relationship.”
“You and Mack’s relationship?”
“No, me and Pam’s relationship. It was like Mack was kind of jealous or something. I think she was concerned that Pam and I might be getting back together.”
“And Pam was taken that next morning?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you ever talk about the money in here?”
I didn’t even need to think about that. My hands cut the air. “No, absolutely not. I’ve never spoken to anyone about the money. And I haven’t been flashy with it either. I’ve barely spent any of it.”
Francesca strode into the living room and sat down on one of the cushioned bamboo chairs. She drew her knee to her chest so she could rest her chin on it. Hugo moved across the room to the blanket he’d claimed on the floor and plopped down onto it. “This all had to start with someone finding out about the money. Think about it, Danny. Who else knew about that?”
I sat back down on the sofa and tried to think. Who else knew about the money? Al knew. And Artie, of course. The geriatric squad who had helped me get the money in the first place knew. Manny knew, but I doubted he’d tell anyone else after I’d asked him not to. “I don’t know. I don’t think Al would’ve told anyone, and those old guys he hangs around with, they’re not gonna tell either. The swim-up bartender, Manny, knows, but he’s a friend of mine. I don’t think he’d tell anyone.”
“You’re sure that’s all the people that knew?”
And then a memory hit me. I slammed a hand into my knee. “Shit. I just remembered. Mariposa mentioned something to me the other day about me being richer than God. It completely caught me off guard when she said it. Apparently she knows, but I have no idea who told her.”
“Who is Mariposa?”
“She’s in charge of the front office staff and the cleaning staff.”
“Do you get along with her?”
I pulled my lips back and widened my eyes. “I mean, I try to get along with her.”
“What does that mean? You try to get along with her.”
“It means I’ve been trying to win her over since I got to the resort. She just doesn’t seem to like me.”
Francesca tipped her head sideways. “Does Mariposa know about your relationships with Pam, Mack, and Al?”
I nodded. “Definitely. Everyone here knows about Al and me. She hated the fact that Mack and I were hooking up. And Pam made a scene the day she showed up here. Mari saw it for sure. But, to be fair, the whole resort heard about it.”
“So, Mari knew ab
out the money, and about your relationships with the three people taken. It’s not that big of a stretch to think that perhaps she’s the one that’s been talking to Dexter,” said Francesca.
I shook my head. “I just can’t picture Mari selling me out like that. She seems like a nice person besides the fact that she’s not my biggest fan.”
“Danny, some people will sell their own mother out for money. Dexter could be giving her a big slice of the pie. Is she struggling for cash?”
“I don’t know. She’s a single mom. What single mom doesn’t struggle for cash?”
Francesca shook her head. “I hate to say it, but this woman is looking guiltier and guiltier.” She began to tick things off her fingers. “She knew about the money. She knew about your personal relationships. She’s not your biggest fan. She’s a struggling single mother who could use some quick cash. And she knows where you live. It’s all adding up.”
“I would be shocked if it were her.”
“We don’t have a lot of leads, Danny. We’ve gotta start somewhere. Maybe we need to find out exactly how she discovered the fact that you’d gotten that money.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m definitely curious about that too.”
Francesca nodded and strode towards the door. “Alright, then. What are we waiting for? I think it’s time we pay your friend Mariposa a little visit.”
I stood up.
Francesca held a hand out as a thought hit her. “Wait. What are we going to tell Al’s wife? We can’t just leave her hanging. Al lost a finger. Dexter’s got him, Danny. We have to tell her something!”
I swallowed hard. The thought of telling Evie about the finger and Al’s abduction made my stomach churn. “I’ll call her while we’re on the way and tell her we’re working on finding him.”
“But are you gonna tell her about Al’s finger?”
I winced and carried the box with the finger in it to the sink. “Hell no. In fact, I’m gonna wrap it in wet paper towels.” I pointed at one of my cupboards. “Hand me a Ziplock.”
She opened up my cupboard and pulled out a little baggie.
When I’d wrapped the finger, I slid it inside. “There, now we’ll keep this on ice and maybe if we get Al back in time, they can sew it back on. I’ll meet you out front in a minute.”
37
A Seacoast Majestic shuttle bus sat empty beneath the porte cochere as a whole new crop of men in shorts and flip-flops and women in summer dresses and sandals filled the air-conditioned lobby. Francesca and I stood off to the side, watching Mariposa Marrero work diligently to accommodate the influx of new arrivals. Usually she only oversaw her staff, but since Mack wasn’t there, Mari had taken over her computer and was currently helping an elderly couple get checked into their room.
Francesca and I stood with our arms crossed, watching the vertically challenged woman work and waiting for her to finish. Our unwavering stares followed her every movement, and yet, she refused to make eye contact with us.
Francesca leaned sideways towards me. “Looks like she might be a while. Can we interrupt her?”
I shook my head. “As much as I wanna find Al, I don’t think interrupting Mari while she’s checking in new arrivals is gonna make her want to talk to us. Let’s go talk to Artie first. I need to update him on the Al situation anyway. Maybe when we’re done there, Mari’ll be free.”
I led Francesca through a door marked Employees Only and through a series of hallways to Artie’s office. I took a deep breath and knocked on his door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and stuck my head inside. “Artie. May I have a word?”
“Of course. What’s going on? I assume you found Al?”
I opened the door wider to let Francesca inside. “Artie, you remember Officer Cruz?”
Artie blotted at his forehead with the white towel on his desk and then stood up to extend one of his meaty hands in her direction. “Of course I do. Officer Cruz, it’s a pleasure. Artie Balladares. Have a seat.” He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk and then sat back down and looked at me, annoyance covering his face. He cleared his throat. “I thought we agreed to handle this situation internally, Drunk.”
Francesca held up a hand before I could say anything else. “I can assure you, Mr. Balladares, I’m on my own with this case. I’ve taken a few personal days’ leave from the PIRPF so I could help Danny out with this. No one at the station even knows I’m working on it.”
Artie let out a heavy sigh. “Good. The bad publicity would eat my business alive.”
I cleared my throat. “Artie, I’ve got some bad news. I really don’t even know how to tell you this.” I looked down at my hands and then back up at Artie. “Things have taken a more serious turn.”
Artie’s brows knitted together. “Turn? What do you mean?”
“It’s Al,” I said, rubbing the palms of my hands against my shorts to dispel the stickiness.
“Al?” Artie looked confused.
I glanced over at Francesca. I wasn’t sure that I could actually say the words.
Francesca nodded at me and then turned to look at Artie. “Mr. Balladares, Al’s been taken.”
“Taken!” gasped Artie.
“Abducted,” she added.
I sighed. I really didn’t want to tell him the rest. “And listen, Artie. It’s not just that they abducted him. They fucking cut his finger off!”
Artie’s usually squinty eyes practically bugged out of his head. “They did what?”
“We have the finger,” I added, as if that made anything better. “I’ve got it on ice back at my place.”
“On ice? You’re serious? Someone actually cut off Al’s finger?”
“I’m serious as a heart attack, Artie. Things are all kinds of messed up right now.”
“Oh my God, Al…” Artie leaned forward over his desk. His sausage fingers covered his face as he sucked in a deep, asthmatic breath. Finally, after an extended silence, he leaned back in his chair again. It made a groaning sound beneath the pressure of his weight. “Drunk, tell me what I can do to help. You wanna call the cops? Let’s call the cops. Resort be damned.” He reached forward and put a hand on the phone on his desk.
My hand lurched forward to settle over his. “It’s only gonna make it worse for Al, Artie. We can’t.”
“But, Drunk! Al Becker is one of my oldest, dearest friends. I can’t just sit around and not try and help him.”
“I know exactly how you feel, Artie. Al’s been my best friend since I got to the island. We’re going to do everything we can to find him, but if we get the island police involved, the kidnappers are just gonna kill him and Pam. We can’t let that happen,” I said firmly.
“But they already took his finger. What’s to stop them from killing him?”
“They want the money. I don’t think they’re gonna kill him until they get the money. Otherwise they lose their bargaining chip.”
Artie shook his head. His eyes darted between us. “Then what can I do? I have to help.”
I leaned back in my chair, pulled one of my ankles up to rest on my knee, and ran my hands through my hair. My hair felt greasy, like I hadn’t showered in months. I hadn’t even bothered to look at myself in the mirror before leaving. I probably looked like hell warmed over. “Well, for starters, Artie, you can keep this to yourself. Whatever you do, for crying out loud, don’t tell Evie. She’s gonna lose it when she finds out. We’re hoping we can find Al before something else bad happens to him.”
“Of course, of course,” said Artie. The color had drained from his usually white face, making him appear pastier than usual.
“Besides that? You can get an orthopedic specialist geared up and ready to reattach the finger. It’s in my cottage if you want to send someone over there to grab it and have it prepped for when I get Al back.”
Artie’s head bobbed. “I’m on it. I’ll get the best surgeon money can buy!”
I sighed. “Otherwise, there’s not much else y
ou can do. We’re waiting to speak to Mariposa. But she’s busy right now, so we thought we’d update you on the situation while we were waiting.”
Artie looked confused. “Mariposa? Why do you need to speak with her?”
Francesca leaned in, resting her elbows on her knees. “We think she might be involved. It seems that a lot of the signs are pointing towards her as possibly being the kidnapper’s informant.”
Artie’s head jerked back. “You’re kidding me? You think Mari’s involved in Al’s abduction?”
I nodded. “And in Pam’s and in Mack’s.”
“Mack’s? You never told me Mack was abducted!”
I sighed. “Oh, yeah. Shit. Sorry. But don’t worry, we got her back. Last night. We were supposed to trade the money for Pam, but when we got there, it wasn’t Pam, it was Mack. But she had a bag on her head, so we didn’t find out who it was until after we’d already made the exchange. That’s why Mack was a no call, no show at work yesterday. So hopefully, you’ll be willing to give her her job back. If she even wants it back after everything that’s happened.”
Artie looked at me with a tilted head and narrowed eyes. “Now explain to me why you think Mari is involved in all of this?”
Francesca took the reins on that one. “Well, for starters, she knew all about Danny’s relationships with Pam, Mack, and Al. And according to Danny, Mariposa never liked him much. She’s also got access to his house. And most importantly, she knew about the money.”
I nodded. “Yeah, there aren’t that many people that knew about the money. You, Al, Manny, and the guys down at the clubhouse, but none of those guys are telling anyone. Although I haven’t figured out exactly how she knew about the money. But I’m sure she did. She made a comment to me about it the other day.”
Artie’s face froze. Only his eyes darted from me to Francesca and back to me again. “Ooooh,” he groaned. Then slowly he raised one of his hands. “That would be me. I accidentally let it slip one day.”
My eyes widened. “Artie! You told Mari about the money? Why would you do that? I asked you to keep that on the DL.”
Drunk on a Boat Page 20
