by Matt Lincoln
“Where is Philippe?” Yoani asked as we approached my car. “I don’t see him.”
“I’ll call you back in a minute.” I ended the call with Diane before she had a chance to protest. A quick search around the red Charger confirmed it. “He might’ve gone into the restaurant.”
A pricey chop house overlooked the parking lot, and we went up to the door to check for Philippe. The host’s sneer at our bedraggled appearance didn’t help when we tried to go in.
“Is he as wet and sandy as you?” he drolled.
“Yes.” I glared at the stuffy fellow. “Did he come through?”
“No one by his description came inside today.” He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for the dinner rush.”
Back outside, I dialed Diane.
“What happened this time?” Her voice sounded resigned. I got that from her a lot.
“Molina took off.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” I turned in place and looked around again. “He was supposed to meet us here. I’m thinking he went to a bar to cool off or something. He already had booze on his breath.”
“Robbie said Molina drank on the job at Mike’s yesterday.” Diane’s voice held a note of accusation. “Why didn’t you report it?”
“I figured since Yoani shrugged it off, I wasn’t going to say anything.” I mouthed “sorry” to Yoani. “I thought it was a one-time thing. You want me to scout the watering holes down here?”
Yoani gestured for my attention.
“Just a sec, boss.” I moved the phone away from my ear. “What’s up?”
“We need fresh clothes before we look for him.” She bit her lip for a second. “I have a small allowance. We can save time by buying something first.”
I put the phone back up to my ear.
“I heard what she said,” Diane told me. “Two things. First, we’ll have other people look for Molina. We don’t need him going after you again. Second, she needs dinner. Put that and some new clothes on the MBLIS card. This wasn’t her fault, and that ‘allowance’ is a joke.”
“Got it.” I ended the call and turned to Yoani. “There are some shops nearby. We’ll get clean clothes and then get you some food.”
“What about Philippe?” She twisted her hat brim. “Someone needs to find him.”
“That won’t be us.” I put my hand on her shoulder and was relieved that she didn’t flinch. “No more altercations tonight, got it?”
She forced a smile and nodded.
We found the local surf shop and found touristy Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts to go over the store brand’s t-shirts, which they tossed in for free thanks to our appearance. My boat shoes squelched as I walked, but I wasn’t interested in replacing them quite yet. Yoani was lucky. Her sandals were fine.
Dusk was falling as we headed out of the store.
“We might as well find a quiet place so we can talk about the next week and a half,” I suggested. “We’ll follow up on Delgado leads, but the real action won’t happen until they deliver the cars.”
“Our agents are supposed to be getting close to González’s people.” Yoani hugged herself despite the humid warmth. “We should get an update.”
“Someone would’ve pinged me by now.” I looked down the street and smiled. “Let’s get some Greek food.”
CHAPTER 39
We soon found ourselves seated at one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Not many places had poolside dining that overlooked the ocean. The clean, white chairs and tables with blue accents welcomed us with dinner prices that wouldn’t raise eyebrows too much in the MBLIS accounting department.
“It’s beautiful,” Yoani whispered as we opened our menus. “Do you always get to eat in places like this?”
“I wish.” I chuckled. “I’ve eaten in some downright disgusting situations in my life. One of my other favorites is a greasy burger joint that is definitely not on Miami Beach.”
“We should try it out tomorrow.” Her smile faded. “If I get to stay. Do you think they’ll send all of us back, or just Philippe?”
“Just him.” I frowned. “This stunt he pulled isn’t going to play well. Has he ever done anything like it?”
She shook her head. “He’s always been professional.” She frowned. “As far as I know. Maybe… There was one time when he was assigned to me. A businessman kept telling me to kiss him. When he put his hand on me, Philippe told him to stop.”
“Did he do more than speak to the guy?”
“I didn’t think so.” She rubbed at her left thumb. “That man left early. He said he had an emergency at home.”
“Seems to me like Philippe got to him.”
“When we were in school, Philippe got into trouble sometimes.” She pressed her lips together for a moment and then continued. “He learned from boys on the streets, and they use their fists. Maybe that’s why he went into security.”
“Makes sense.” I didn’t want to go into my theories about more than a few people who went into security and law enforcement fields. Not everyone, of course, but there were a lot who enjoyed power trips. “How did he end up working with you?”
The server brought our drinks. Yoani closed her eyes and took a delicate sip of the Chianti she’d ordered when we were seated. She opened her eyes, smiled, and took a longer sip.
“This is the best red I have ever tried,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong. We have a decent selection back home, but it’s nice to try something new.”
“Understandable.” I looked deep into her soft, brown eyes. “If you don’t want to talk about Philippe right now, I get it.”
She swirled the wine in its glass and watched the liquid whirl around.
“It’s okay. I guess.” She set the glass down. “I got him the position at our department. He said the shop where he worked held no future, and he wanted more. I spoke with my boss, and he hired Philippe to do the small things. Mail, copies, those things.”
“How did he move into security?”
“The morning patrol person got very ill one day.” Her lips twitched, and she ran her fingers along the wine glass’s stem. “Our supervisor told Philippe to stay upfront until the replacement came. A man came in off the street and started trouble. Philippe handled it, and he got moved to building security. A few months later, they began handing him outside assignments. He ends up on my assignments a lot of the time, but not always.”
The timing of that first security incident was pretty damn coincidental.
“Has he ever done anything to threaten you?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she protested. “I suppose it’s strange that he is so protective of me…”
“Yeah, it is. I know you care for your friend, but you need to see it from another perspective. These are classic behaviors for a stalker. He’s insinuated himself into your life so much that you don’t even think about it anymore.”
Yoani put her hands on the table, palms down.
“It’s not like that. He’s like a brother. We grew up together.”
I held my hands up in surrender. “Okay. I’ll let it go.”
This was far from how I wanted to spend time alone with her. It was better not to pursue the issue, even though it was as clear as day to me. I looked over toward the entrance. If Philippe was that persistent, we might not be safe.
“I’m sorry,” Yoani said. “You’re looking out for me. Please understand that Philippe has only ever been kind to me.”
My phone chirped with a text notification. The timing couldn’t have been better, as the server arrived to take our orders. I gave mine and then read the message from Diane.
Molina is in the wind. CCTV showed him getting on a westbound bus. I notified his gov’t and Renteria. He’ll meet us at the office.
“We’re going to meet Arturo and Diane at MBLIS when we’re done here,” I told Yoani. “Take your time eating, though. We’re going to be spinning our wheels for a bit.”<
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“Did they find him?” she asked.
I shook my head. “He took a bus toward the city.”
“He really did run.”
“Yeah. Did he say if he knows anyone in Miami?”
She bit at her lower lip and pulled her braid over her shoulder.
“I’m not sure.” She played at the end of the braid. “He said he wondered if González knew the people in Florida. What if he’s trying to investigate for himself?”
I groaned. That was just what we needed.
“I’d rather they find him passed out at a bar.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. We hadn’t told Philippe of the plan with Dollar Store. At that point, I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. If too many people asked around, Delgado and his crew could go to ground. On the other hand, Philippe could find a way to screw that up.
I picked up my phone and sent Diane a text.
We just sat to eat. Be at office in two hours. Head’s up that Molina may go after Del gang.
I copy. Don’t stay out too long, Cinderella.
“I hope he returns on his own,” Yoani murmured. “It will go better for him if he does.”
“What do you think will happen to him?”
She frowned and looked down.
“He’ll be interrogated. They’ll think he’s trying to leave our country. He needs to turn himself in because if he’s caught and deported, he will go to prison.” She hugged herself. “They’ll question me. Did I know he would do this? Was I planning to disappear, too? I… I may lose my career.”
I curled my hands into fists without thinking about it. When she gave them a pointed look, I forced my body to relax.
“They should know you wouldn’t abandon your mother.”
“Why not? She has Rosa to care for her. This is a perfect opportunity for me to leave.” A shuddering sigh punctuated her words. “I love my country, Ethan. It’s not perfect. No country is, but we have a wonderful culture and know how to love. People from the outside see us as cowering beneath a fist, but we are so much more than that.”
“I know.” I reached across the table and touched her fingers. “My career has taken me around the world. I’ve seen a lot, Yoani. I won’t comment on what I know about your government, but I do know that there are far worse abuses in the world.”
She cleared her throat and sniffed. “I believe in doing one’s best, given their circumstances. The thing I like about my life is that I can, and I love my job. I just hope Philippe doesn’t ruin that for me.”
“Well, I’ll do my best to help.” Since she hadn’t moved her hands away, I gently cupped mine over hers. “We’ll solve these crimes, and we’ll find Philippe. I’ll vouch for you at the end of all this.”
A meaty smell hit my nostrils. I looked toward the kitchen and saw our server with our platters. Yoani’s lamb chops came with couscous, spinach, and roasted lemon potatoes. My black Angus ribeye with chimichurri sauce made me damn near drool, but I had to say one thing before digging in.
“Let’s not think about this for an hour,” I told her. “Lord knows, we’ll have our cups full when we see Diane.”
CHAPTER 40
The meeting in the office turned into a full-fledged briefing. Yoani and I walked in to find not only Arturo and Diane, but Holm, Muñoz, Birn, and our guy in Cyber, TJ Warner.
“I take it there’s news,” I said as I pulled out a seat for Yoani.
Warner stood and went to the front of the room. He avoided looking at anyone, which was extreme, even for him. Something had brewed up, all right.
“I dug deeper on José Delgado.” His soft voice cut through the room. The kid was learning how to get attention despite his shyness. “First off, I confirmed the González brothers aren’t related to… they aren’t part of the Delgado family. I still don’t have a connection there.”
He licked his lips and looked at Yoani.
“It turns out that Delgado brought his wife and son with him to Florida,” Warner continued. “Between the records and some phone calls I made, it turns out he changed his name to Pablo Sotomayor. There’s a death certificate following a nasty car wreck. His wife and son returned to Cuba to live with family.”
“Did he have other kids after moving here?” Holm asked.
Warner shook his head. “No. Julio Delgado was the only child.” He glanced at Yoani again. “When Isabela and Julio moved back, there was a little hassle, but it sounds like her family had connections to smooth things out. Part of the deal was for her to take back her maiden name.”
“No…”
Yoani’s startled gasp drew everyone’s attention. She put her hand over her mouth and blinked several times.
“What’s wrong?” I started to reach for her other hand but stopped. “Yoani?”
She straightened her back and put her hand down.
“My great-grandmother’s name was Isabela Nuñez. My grandfather’s name was Julio Nuñez.” Her chin trembled, but she continued. “Our family refuses to discuss it, but there have always been rumors that they had left and returned.”
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Diane said from across the room. “We would’ve preferred to tell you in private, but there’s more, and time is a factor.”
“Why on Earth is time a factor?” I snapped.
“Watch it, Ethan,” she warned. “TJ, explain it to them.”
“Julio Nuñez got married in the seventies and had your father and other children with his wife, Cynthia,” Warner said. “I am really sorry to tell you this way, but the year you were born, he had one more child with a woman named Ana Molina. Philippe is your father’s younger brother.”
Yoani sagged in her seat, and I winced. Here, I’d been trying to claim he was a stalker when he’d really been her uncle watching out for her. The connection to the Delgado List went a long way toward explaining why he’d run off, but not entirely.
“This explains so much,” Yoani said after a few moments. “My grandparents are gone now, but this could still hurt a lot of people. I have no idea who might know about this.”
“This complicates things,” Diane said. “Now that we know you have a direct link to the case, we have to step back and reevaluate your involvement. I have a conference call with Rafael Sanchez in the morning. I’m going to strongly suggest that you stay with members of this team for your safety.”
Yoani stiffened. “Philippe would never hurt me.”
“She’s not worried about that,” I said. “If the González brothers discover the connection, that would put you in danger.”
“Oh.”
Arturo stood. “Excuse me.”
“Go ahead,” Diane told him.
“I would like to endorse MBLIS’s protection without additional need for security from Havana.” He clasped his hands behind his back and straightened. “My word will carry weight with Sanchez. I am former Avistas Negras of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and work on special details like this one.”
Well, hot damn. The Black Wasps were Cuba’s elite forces.
“Why didn’t—?”
“It was need to know, Ethan. I needed to know, but you didn’t.” Diane gestured for Arturo to have a seat. “Thank you for the good word, Arturo.”
“Now that we have that sorted out, what’s the plan?” Birn pointed at Muñoz. “We have our own caseload, and it’s not getting lighter.”
“I’m reassigning some of those cases.” Diane smiled. “We have plenty of talent among the ranks. Sylvia and Lamarr, you are going to work with Arturo to ensure continuous security for Yoani.”
“That takes care of things for the moment,” Muñoz said. “We have almost two weeks until the cars are delivered. What’s our plan until then?”
“We keep digging for dirt on the so-called Delgado crew.” I ticked the points off on my fingers. “See what Dollar Store finds out, if anything. Keep in touch with the investigators in Havana.”
“Why don’t we have anyone on the ground with t
hem?” Birn asked. “We have good people.”
Diane shook her head. “It’s not part of the agreement. They have certain methods that our agents can’t participate in at this stage.” She grimaced. “No offense, you two.”
Arturo waved it off. “This is understood. I assure you, our investigators are very good at their work. MBLIS got our people the start we needed. Between our people and the plan for the smugglers from this end, we’re confident we’ll be able to put down this crime ring.”
Yoani leaned forward. “I want to make sure I understand the plan correctly. I’ve only heard it in bits and pieces.”
“We’re going to allow the delivery, so we have evidence of wrongdoing to deliver to Havana and our prosecutors,” I told her. “We’ll plant a GPS device on the boat to see where it docks in Cuba. When it arrives, Cuban authorities will swoop in.”
“The other part of the plan is to see what else their boat is doing.” Holm crossed his ankle over his knee and held onto it with both hands. “Now that we know they move powder and people, we want to find where they’re making those swaps.”
“How does this lead you to who bombed Howie Talmadge’s boat?” she asked. “Your friend Mike will want those answers.”
I sighed. “We’re still working that angle. Once we get all these people in, I think we’ll figure this out.” I turned toward Arturo. “Have they identified the guy who broke into the safe house?”
“No. We should’ve had that within a day or two.” He frowned. “It’s possible that someone is blocking the attempt.”
“I can do it,” Warner said. “I have my ways, as long as someone sends me the prints.”
“You have access to the Havana network?” Arturo asked with raised brows.
“I have my ways,” Warner repeated. “Did Clyde get copies of identifying features or the prints?”
Diane’s lips twitched. “I’ll speak with you and Clyde when we’re done here.”
“That creep might be our best connection.” I crossed my arms. “I look forward to seeing where he leads.”
