Tequila and Sunrise

by Madison Johns

  “You have to admit he’s the type of man you’d want on your team.”

  “True, but if it’s all the same, I’d rather not meet that man anywhere.”

  “So are we checking out the boathouse or not?”

  “Do you think it’s safe to do it right now?”

  “Probably not since we just spoke to the maid. We can’t trust that the woman gave us the correct information.”

  “A boathouse is a strange place to keep valuables, don’t you think?”

  “I agree, and I’d like to touch base with my grandson before we make any needless moves that might wind us up in the morgue.”

  Eleven

  Taney eased down in a bench across from Irma and me at a corner coffee shop. We sat in the corner booth well away from the windows so as not to stand out.

  “Do you have an update for me?” he asked.

  “We learned a man named Frank owns the Star of the West charter boat service and the cottage where Bev was staying,” I said.

  “He’s a real slime ball,” Irma added.

  “How so?”

  “He about as much said he rents the cottages to some unsavory types.”

  “Short-term rentals if you catch my drift.” Irma frowned. “Tell my grandson about the man you encountered at one of the cottages.”

  “He actually scared me, but I suppose I shouldn’t have knocked on his door.”

  “We didn’t know anyone would be home.”

  “Then why did you knock on his door?” Taney asked.

  “So nobody would think we were there for another reason.”

  Taney sighed. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “We spoke to the maid, and she gave us a tip that the guests store their valuables off-site.”

  “We’re planning to check it out later.”

  Taney reached into his pocket.

  “No sense in writing anything down. We’re following up on the tip later.”

  Irma stirred her coffee. “We’ll call you if we find anything of interest.”

  I smiled at Irma. I’m glad she was on my side at the moment. I worried if I told Taney where we were going, he’d ruin our chance of finding anything important. If the residents of the cottages were criminals, even the presence of undercover cops would put them on alert and they’d never get a chance to search the place.

  Taney’s phone rang and he answered it, his face stoic as he listened to the caller.

  “I won’t have time to take you to the airport, Anna. I believe I already told you that. I’ll meet you in Boston when I wrap things up. It shouldn’t be more than a few days.”

  When the call ended, I asked, “Anna is leaving?”

  “Yes, she’s too much of a distraction.”

  “I could have told you that,” Irma grumbled.

  “I know you’re not fond of Anna, but she’s my girlfriend and it would be nice if you showed her a little respect.”

  “Respect is earned.”

  “What do you mean you’ll wrap things up in a few days?” I asked. “We haven’t even found the ruby yet.”

  “The FBI is only giving us a few more days to investigate. They believe the ruby has slipped out of our hands.”

  “Where does that leave me?” I asked.

  “It’s up to the FBI since they were the ones who gave you your deal.”

  “But that’s not fair. I’ve done everything I could to find the gem.”

  “We have she means,” Irma added.

  “I’ll speak to them about that because you’ve certainly pounded the pavement, searching for the ruby.”

  “I hope they don’t plan to turn the tables on me and give the police my name. I’d hate to be considered a suspect in Bev’s death, especially when I’m innocent.”

  “The FBI must think the ruby was stolen from Bev when she was murdered.”

  “They haven’t given me any details, but it makes sense. Stolen gems are normally fenced pretty quickly.”

  “I understand that, but she came to Harper Cove for a reason. She worked for Rico, and he wasn’t too happy that she didn’t hand over the ruby, I believe.”

  “So he took matters into his own hands,” Irma said. “Rico runs a criminal organization in Harper Cove, and he has goons he can order to take care of Bev and take the ruby.”

  I sipped my coffee. “Bev must have come to town for a reason.”

  “Someone might have followed her.”

  I swallowed hard. “Like the man who has been watching me at the hotel.”

  “How would he know you’d be in town?”

  “He had inside information that I was arrested and given a deal.”

  “That’s far-fetched. I assure you nobody knows you came here to find Bev or the ruby,” Taney said.

  I tapped my fingers on the table. “You’re probably right.”

  “It’s understandable to be nervous. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure the FBI doesn’t pull your deal.”

  “That’s not good enough,” I said as I stood up. “I understand that the only reason any of us are here is because I need to deliver the ruby. And aren’t you a little out of your jurisdiction, Taney?”

  “No,” Irma said and clamped her mouth shut.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Of course not.” Taney smiled. “I have your best interest at heart.”

  “What a joke.”

  I stormed out the door and Irma called after me.

  “Would you wait up?”

  I blinked back the angry tears. I couldn’t trust anyone. I’ll have to use my own wits to solve this case.

  Irma pulled my arm. “Please don’t be angry at Taney. He’s expected to produce results too.”

  “Except he won’t be the one going to prison if the FBI doesn’t understand that I’ve done everything in my power to find that damn gem.”

  “I know you have, honey, but my grandson is in your corner.”

  “Maybe you should go back to the hotel. I can do this alone.”

  “No, you can’t. You need someone to watch your back.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m used to working alone.”

  “That might be fine for stealing jewelry, but it won’t work in this case, I hope you know that.”

  I sighed and continued up the street.

  “Where are you going?”

  “You know where.”

  “But I thought you said it’s not a good idea to go there now. That it’s too dangerous.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “But I thought you looked danger in the eye and laughed.”

  “You’re a funny girl.”

  “I wonder if there actually is a boathouse?”

  “Maybe but not so sure about anyone storing their valuables there.”

  I knew the boat club was on the dead end, so I led the way to the street on the next block. Clouds gathered overhead, and I knew we were in for a few showers, so I hastened my pace. We ran for cover when it began to sprinkle beneath the overhang of a restaurant that faced the ocean with no windows on the street side.

  The clouds quickly faded away, and we continued on, reaching the beach beyond the boat club. I pulled off my sandals as the walkway ended, and Irma winced as she stepped on the sand with her shoes on.

  “I can’t take my shoes off. I have ugly feet.”

  I laughed. “This is hardly the time to think about something like that, but don’t blame me when the sand packs in your shoes and weighs you down.” I winced. “Not that I’m enjoying burning my feet in the sand. The sprinkles didn’t help much.”

  Irma trudged behind me, and I slowed down for her to catch up. Even though I considered myself capable of doing this alone, Irma had grown on me.

  “Are you ever planning to tell me about your husband’s death?”

  “Why is that so important to you?”

  “I want to get to know you better, Irma. It didn’t work out so well for me with Bev.”

  “Would it
have really mattered?”

  “In hindsight, yes.”

  “If you had learned Bev worked for a crime boss, would it have really mattered?”

  “We haven’t established if Rico is at the rank of crime boss. He might only be a local thug.”

  “Or gang leader.”

  “I wouldn’t have taken part in the heist. It was only supposed to be a three-way split.”

  “Didn’t Bev have a brother?”

  “You’re right, I forgot all about him. I’ll have to ask Taney if he can find out if he came to town after learning of his sister’s death.”

  “I’ll give him a quick call.”

  “Look, I see a building ahead that might be the boathouse.”

  About two hundred yards up, a weathered gray building sat near the river channel. It was quite the distance from the cottages, and I couldn’t imagine any of the guests came all the way there.

  Irma narrowed her eyes at the Closed for Business sign. “What do you think?”

  “Obviously someone doesn’t want anyone to go in there.” I tried the door and it held fast. “It’s locked.”

  Irma rolled her eyes. She pulled out two straightened hairpins from her pocket and waved them in the air with a grin. “This shouldn’t take long.”

  My brow shot up. “Since when does a grandmother know how to pick a lock?”

  “When the woman in question is much more than a grandmother, but I’ll save that for later.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Irma’s eyes rolled back in her head, and I imagined what she was thinking as she jimmied the lock. She smiled when it clicked open.

  “You really need to spill your guts. Now would be nice.”

  “While we’re breaking into the boathouse? There isn’t time for that, dear.”

  I pulled open the door and pushed Irma behind me in case someone was waiting on the other side. It was dark inside, and I powered on my cell phone flashlight and cautiously walked inside with Irma pushing her way next to me.

  “Did I mention I hate dark places?” she said.

  “Does it make you think about being in a coffin? You know, because you’re closer to death than me,” I said jokingly.

  “I’m too ornery to die.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Although I didn’t find Irma particularly grumpy, if anyone had a reason to be irritable, it was me.

  The boathouse didn’t have any boats stored inside and was empty as far as I could tell.

  I stopped at the stairs, then proceeded up.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Nobody is here.”

  “Not that we’ve seen yet.”

  “Don’t jinx us.”

  “I can’t help it if I’m a realist.”

  I climbed to the second floor and moved along the landing, careful to stay clear of the hand railing that could send us plummeting to the concrete floor below if it gave way.

  I tried the doors, and they were all locked. I nodded at Irma, and she went to work with her picks.

  “You’re not shining the light in the right place,” she grumbled.

  “Sorry, I thought I heard something.”

  “Old buildings creak.”

  “Almost like your knees.”

  “Or how I’m about to crack your jaw.”

  “You don’t have it in you.”

  “You’d be shocked to learn how wrong you are.”

  Irma unlocked the door and shouldered it open. I walked into the office and opened the file cabinet to get a sense of what this place had been used for. I thumbed through the folders of contracts. “This building was once used as a dry dock.”

  “Makes sense.”

  I searched the wall for a safe while Irma went through the drawers of the desk.

  “This is a waste of time, Sarah.”

  “Maybe, but we’ve only begun our search.”

  “I think this is a dead end.”

  “Or this isn’t the right boathouse.”

  “To tell you the truth, it was a far-fetched tip at best.”

  I had to agree, and we walked back down the stairs when I noticed the door we used to enter the building was wide open.

  “Didn’t we close the door?” I asked.

  Irma pulled me beneath the stairs. “Shh.”

  A flashlight swung along the walls. “Are you sure you saw someone come in here?” a male voice asked.

  “Well, the door was unlocked unless you forgot to lock it last night.”

  “Do I look like an idiot to you?”

  “Are you sure you want an answer to that question?”

  “Let’s just make certain our merchandise is secured and we’ll lock up and leave, and this time check that the door is locked on our way out.”

  Irma and I pressed our backs to the wall as two figures walked in. One of the men pulled up a trapdoor and went down a ladder.

  I was rooted in place because as much as I wanted to leave without being seen, I had to know what was hidden below. Scratching and scraping sounds echoed up to us, and a flashlight flicked. The sound of heavy shoes on the creaky ladder alerted us that the men were coming topside.

  “I told you we were worrying for nothing.”

  “Easy for you to say, you’re not the one who has to worry about Rico coming after you.”

  “He’s not going to bother with us.”

  “What if he finds out what we’re hiding here?”

  “How’s he gonna know? He’s too busy living the high life while schmucks like us put our butts on the line. We only have to play it cool for a few more days and quietly leave town.”

  “He’s already on edge about you closing up shop.”

  “I didn’t have much of a choice when those broads came around asking questions.”

  “You should have known you were being conned.”

  “I can’t say if I was or not. Why would those women say they worked for Rico if they didn’t?”

  “I don’t know the answer for that, but we have to be careful or everything will blow up in your face.”

  “Why my face and not yours?”

  “You have to be careful. I’m not involved here.”

  “You most certainly are. You know where my stash is now.”

  “Are you forgetting I told you to keep it here.”

  “That doesn’t mean I can trust you.”

  “I haven’t turned you in so far.” The second man chuckled.

  “That’s not funny.”

  “Of course it’s not, and don’t forget my silence isn’t free. I’d like that ten carat diamond ring you have stashed away.”

  “I can’t give you that; it doesn’t belong to me.”

  “As if any of the jewelry belongs to you. I’ve seen more than one piece that would put you on easy street.”

  “There’s no such thing as easy street when you’re in my line of work unless you manage to drop out of sight.”

  “It can happen if you have the right contacts.”

  “If I ever planned to do something like that, I’d never tell anyone, especially you.”

  “Let’s get going. I’m hungry. I heard they have a fresh batch of crab at the Crab Claw today.”

  “We’re in Florida and there’s always fresh seafood.”

  “Not always my friend. Why don’t you join me. It’s on you.”

  “Oh I see how it is. You invite me to dinner but I’m paying. If that isn’t the most underhanded thing you’ve done to me.”

  “Come on now, I’ve done worse things than that to you. Remember when I introduced you to my sister? That didn’t work out so well for you.”

  “Don’t remind me. She stole twelve hundred dollars from me.”

  “At least she didn’t send you to the hospital like she did her ex-husband.”

  “Is that how it was? Because I heard your sister did more than that to her ex—put him six feet under from what they said on the news.”

  “That’s a rumo
r. My sister couldn’t hurt a fly.” He chuckled. “And don’t worry. I promise not to tell her where you live now.”

  “It’s just as well because I moved, and I’m not telling you where.”

  “Enough small talk, let’s go eat.”

  “Fine, but don’t expect me to pay for your meal.”

  Twelve

  I let out my breath in a rush after they left, and Irma helped me to the stairs.

  “Are you okay?” Irma asked.

  I shot her a look. “Am I okay? You’re the one I’m worried about. If those men spotted us, who knows what might have happened.”

  “They didn’t sound too threatening, but that old fool made a huge mistake telling the other man where he keeps his stash.”

  “I think this is where Ramon hid his jewelry until he’s ready to relocate his business.”

  “It’s highly unlikely. Why would Ramon hide his stock here of all places?”

  “It’s an abandoned building for one, and the maid told us guests of the cottages store valuables here. I bet there’s a basement full of safes.”

  Irma chuckled. “I wonder how many of them are unlocked? None is my thought.”

  “Well, I’m going down there to find out for myself.” I handed my cell phone to Irma. “Hand me my phone when I get on the ladder.”

  Irma pulled out a cylinder object from her pocket and flicked it on, creating a beam of light much brighter that my phone app. “Why didn’t you tell me you had that earlier?”

  “I should have, but you seemed so intent on using your phone flashlight that I didn’t want to argue with you.”

  I pulled up the rope loop, and Irma held the trapdoor open for me as I climbed down the ladder. The smell of mold and mildew nearly knocked me to my knees. Maybe Irma was right. Who would keep any valuables down here? Not me, that’s for certain.

  The concrete floor was slick, and I proceeded carefully. Rotted crates were stacked along the walls, and I stood silently until my eyes adjusted to the near darkness.

  A row of locked cabinets came into view, and I yanked on the rusty locks. They looked like they’d been down here for a long time and possibly covered in water during one of the many hurricanes to hit Florida.

  I followed skid marks behind the crates and found an upright safe. I about dropped to my knees as I skated across the floor and turned the latch of the safe. It creaked when I opened it, but I sighed in disappointment when it was empty. Where did Ramon conceal his jewelry?