“Don't move, Philip. I have a gun and being married to a sheriff, I know how to use it,” Kelly shouted. “Drop the syringe, or I’ll shoot.” Philip meekly complied and dropped the syringe on the floor of the boat.
“Senora, the constable's boat is coming. I'm turning my lights on and starting the engine. We need to get back to shore. I fear the heavy weather will start very soon.”
The constable pulled up next to them. “Kelly, Jack,” Mike yelled, “Are you all right?”
"Yes,” they both answered. Jack continued, “Philip was getting ready to kill me. Kelly saved my life.”
“Senor Mike, hurry! We don't have time to talk. The worst of the hurricane is coming, and we need to get off the water,” Guido said.
“Mike, take my gun and keep it on Philip,” the constable said as he pulled Philip over the side of the boat he and Jack had been in and into the constable's boat. “I'll handcuff him. Senor Jack, drive your boat back to the dock. Guido, stay right behind us, so if he tries anything either the Senora or Mike can shoot him. With two guns on him, I don't expect much trouble. We need to go now!”
The three boats sped back to shore as best they could in the water which was now becoming wild and angry. As they pulled up to the dock, the heavens opened, and the full strength of the hurricane blew over and around them. A terrible roar filled the air. “Follow me, the fishing club is safe,” Guido yelled. “It was built with something like this in mind. We will be okay there. Run.”
They ran as fast as they could through the deluge of pouring rain, Cayo safely back in Kelly's beach bag. The force of the wind had flung the door of the fishing club open, and the floor was covered with water. Guido yelled to them, “Get in the back room, away from the windows. The wind could blow them out. Stay as far back in the room as you can.”
He pushed open the door of the back room, and they huddled on the floor against the back wall. The constable unceremoniously pushed Philip down on the floor and told him to stay there. He pressed his foot on the back of Philip’s neck as all of them anxiously waited for the storm to subside. For the next two hours there was silence in the room as the six of them listened to the raging storm and watched the slanting rain pounding against the windows. Kelly and Mike had never been in a hurricane and the two hours they spent huddled on the floor in the back room of the fishing clubhouse felt like a lifetime to them.
“Kelly, Carola stayed at the hotel, right?” Jack asked.
“Yes, and it’s fully prepared for hurricanes. I noticed evacuation signs on the grounds, and when I left they were calling people to come to the lobby so they could be evacuated. Don't forget, the hotel is on a cliff, so she should be fine. When I last saw her, she was in the lobby, getting ready to call the constable. I'm sure she's okay, just frightened, like all of us are.”
After nearly two hours of enduring the thrashing of the violent storm it became eerily quiet. The rain stopped, and the sun broke through the clouds. “It is over,” Guido said. “We are fine, and so is the fishing club.”
“Senor Mike, would you ride in the car with me?” the constable asked. “I need to take Philip to jail, and then we will fly him to the main island. Thank you so much. You solved the case, or rather, the Senora did. Gracias, Senora. I don't know what we would have done without you and your cat.”
Kelly didn't look at Mike as she answered him. “De nada, it was nothing, and he’s really not my cat. I was lucky. Who knew Cayo was some sort of a killer attack cat? I'm going to hate to leave him.”
“Kelly, Mike, I can never thank you enough, and I have to say that Carola was right,” Jack said. “She had a sixth sense about Philip, and I didn't listen. It almost cost me my life. Mike, you haven't even been able to fish which is the main reason you came to Cuba.”
"Senors, tomorrow you will go with Landy. He is my best guide. You will fish with him as my guests, without charge,” Guido said. “Needless to say, Philip will not be getting the Grand Slam certificate or his photograph on the wall. He is not qualified to become a member of the prestigious Grand Slam Club. He dishonors what so many have come to prize.”
"Senor Mike, Senora Reynolds, I am so sorry, but could you come to the station and make a statement?” the constable asked. “Mike, you're going to be fishing tomorrow, and I believe you told me you were leaving the day after tomorrow for Havana. I think now is the only time you can do it, plus I would like to have you keep my gun on Philip while I take him to jail. We have so little crime on the island that I don't have a deputy. I need to arrange for Philip to be taken to Havana and charged with murder. Your statements will be indispensable.”
“Of course,” Mike said. “Kelly that's all right with you, isn't it?”
“Yes, but when we get back to the hotel, I want to get a special treat for Cayo. He's the one who should get the credit of thwarting a murder. I know dogs are protective, but cats? That's something I never knew. He's an island cat and part of the flavor here, but I'm really going to miss him.”
“I know what you're thinking, Kelly,” Mike said, “and the answer is no. We have two dogs, one of which was given to us, and more or less under protest I agreed to take her. We are definitely not going to add any more pets to our menagerie.”
“Constable, do you have any sway with the taxis on the island? I know you need to get Philip to jail, and Guido has business here at the clubhouse, but I sure would like to get back to the hotel and see if Carola's all right,” Jack said.
The constable picked up his phone, punched a number in, and said something rapidly in Spanish. He turned to Jack, “The taxi will be here momentarily. When the constable asks the taxi driver to do something, it takes precedence over his paying customers. I'll call your hotel and make sure all is well there, and everyone survived safely.” After another conversation in rapid Spanish, he said, “Everything is fine. I told them to call your room and tell your wife that you are all right. The hotel escaped damage, and about the only thing that happened was some of the guests got wet. All in all, I guess one could call that a successful hurricane.”
As soon as they arrived at the constable's office and Philip was safely locked behind bars in the only jail cell in the building, the constable said, “Please, give me one minute. I need to call headquarters in Havana and ask them to send a couple of men out on the early afternoon plane. That way they can take him back on the evening plane. If he stays here, I may not be responsible for what I might do to him. We regard our fishing opportunities very highly, and to think that a man who could have possibly become a member of the Grand Slam Club did something like what Senor Montgomery did is simply a slap in the face to all of us.”
When they got back to their hotel room after giving their statements to the constable, Mike said, “Kelly, I didn't want to say anything in front of the constable, but paying a chambermaid to get into someone's room and searching his room? If you were in the United States you could be arrested for trespassing, as well as breaking and entering.”
“That's not true. There was no breaking and entering or trespassing. Who says there was? Certainly not the constable. I've always kind of gone along with what Machiavelli said in his famous book, ‘The Prince,’ about the ends justifying the means, and in this case Jack's alive. That's what's important.”
Mike looked at her and shook his head.
They spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful Caribbean beach which had been magically restored with no remnants from the violent hurricane other than where the ocean had crept up on the shore at the height of its intensity.
CHAPTER 26
At 10:00 the next morning Kelly went down to breakfast, intent on eating everything she could that was Cuban. It was a strange breakfast, but she knew it was one of her last in Cuba, and certainly the only one where she would be able to sample whatever she wanted. They were leaving on the first plane out the following day, so they could spend the day exploring Havana.
Albondigas meatballs, Spanish sausages, mango juice, several d
ifferent kinds of breads and cookies, Spanish bacon, garbanzo beans, and chicken with rice. She took a little of everything that interested her. Kelly had just sat down when she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Good morning,” Carola said. “I was going to suggest going down to the beach for a little while and then taking a siesta, but looking at that plate, I'm not sure you're going to be able to move after you eat all that’s on it.”
“I know. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach which is one reason why I try to avoid buffets. I always take a little of this and a little of that, and I can never eat all of it, but since this is our last day here, I'd love to join you on the beach. Have you eaten yet?”
“Yes, I ate with Mike and Jack. They were both excited to get back on the water. Poor Mike. He paid all that money to come down here and then barely got to fish. I hope he does well today.”
“So do I,” Kelly said. “He loves to fish, but he's not what he calls 'pole obsessed' like Philip. You know I've never met Philip’s wife, but I feel sorry for her. Cancer, an infant, and now her husband will be going to a Cuban prison for a long, long time. What a thing for that poor child. I hope Philip’s parents do a better job with their grandson than they did with him. Anyway, why don't I meet you in the lobby at 10:30, and we can spend some time on the beach? If the humidity gets to me, I can always go back to the room.”
“See you then,” Carola said, blowing kisses to the hotel employees as she left the room.
Three hours later, Kelly turned to Carola and said, “I feel like I'm a wet piece of putty. I'm heading back to the room. Let’s meet for a drink in the bar at 7:00.”
“Sounds great. I think I'll go back to the room and take a little siesta. See you at 7:00.”
*****
Kelly fell asleep with Cayo lying next to her on the bed. When she woke up she thought, I'm not so sure that was a good idea, and I'm not so sure the hotel would be very happy about guests bringing stray cats into their rooms, but what the heck. If it hadn't been for Cayo, I'm not sure Jack would be alive.
She got out of bed and took a shower, knowing that the first thing Mike was going to want to do when he returned from fishing was wash off the salt spray from the boat trip and also rinse his clothing out in the shower. Jack had been very emphatic that if you've been out fishing in a boat all day the first thing you do when you get back to your room is get in the shower with your clothes on, and when they’re completely wet, throw them in the sink and wash the salt spray off of your body. After your shower, hang the wet clothes out on the balcony, so they’ll be dry, salt free, and ready to wear the next day. Kelly finished up in the bathroom, knowing Mike would command it when he got back.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” Kelly asked.
“It’s me, Mike. Open up. This may be the most exciting day of my life.”
“Okay, I'll bite,” she said as she opened the door. “You went fishing. I can only assume you got a fish, maybe a couple.”
He picked her up and swung her around. “No, I not only got a fish. I got three fish. Kelly, you are now looking at an official member of the exclusive Grand Slam Club. Look, here's the certificate. Guido gave it to me himself as a thank you for everything I’ve done. This may be the most thrilling thing that's ever happened to me.”
“Careful, Sheriff. Thought you already said that on the day we were married.”
“Okay, you got me. Let's just say it's on par with that day. They photographed me, and my picture is going to be on the wall at the Bartolo clubhouse. I mean, people from all over the world will know that Mike Reynolds is now a member of the Grand Slam Club. I can't believe it.”
“What about Jack?” Kelly asked.
“He got five bonefish and three tarpon.”
“Well, that seems pretty impressive to me.”
“Normally, it would be very impressive, but here's the thing. I only got three fish, but they were the ones that count, the tarpon, the permit, and the bonefish. Actually, Jack is thrilled for me.”
"Really? I’d think he'd be a little jealous.”
“Not at all. Look at it this way. I'm a paying customer. He takes me on his first trip to Cuba, and his client qualifies to become a member of the prestigious Grand Slam Club. That constitutes some pretty big bragging rights, not only for me, but for Jack as well.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. Go take a shower and try to come down from the planet you're on. We're meeting them in the bar at 7:00. You’ve got an hour.”
“Kelly, I don't think you're giving me the respect I'm due for having accomplished this remarkable feat,” Mike said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Sheriff, think it's one of those ‘had to be there things,’ and I wasn't there, although I am sorry I wasn't. I'm sure it was really exciting.”
“Beyond,” he said, as he walked into the bathroom.
*****
Promptly at 7:00 they walked into the open-air bar and saw Jack waving to them. In front of him was a bottle of champagne with four glass flutes. “Kelly, Mike, we're celebrating. It doesn't get much better than this, a murder solved and my client getting a grand slam on my first guiding trip in Cuba. Who knew when we left the United States that all this would take place. Not me!”
“Jack, I'm going to speak for both of us,” Kelly said. “Yes, there was a murder and that always saddens me, but we're all safe, Mike is now a member of the Grand Slam Club, and we had the best lobster of our lives on the beach at Playa Sirena. I will never forget that, and I rather doubt anyone else will either. You did a good job, Mr. Fly Fishing Guide.”
“Thanks, but believe me, I had no idea all this would take place when I called to see if you'd be interested in coming to Cuba with me.”
“My friend, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Thanks for the invite. Tomorrow we fly to Havana and the next day to Mexico City and then home. Problem is, I think I need a vacation from this vacation,” Mike said laughing as each of them held up their glass of champagne and toasted Mike and the trip.
*****
The next morning while they were packing, Kelly said, “I think Cayo knows we're leaving, and he's sad. I wish I could take him with us.”
“No, Kelly, the answer is a resounding NO. Two dogs are enough, plus Cayo has a major job here at the resort keeping the mice at bay. Think what might happen to this resort if he wasn't around to do it. It's kind of like some higher being decided to lend him to us for a little while, and he certainly did what was needed at a crucial time. And believe me, sweetheart, I, for one, am very grateful.”
“Mike, I rather doubt Jack would be alive if it wasn't for Cayo. I know the van will be here in a little while, but I'm going down to the buffet and prepare a plate of food for my feline friend Cayo that includes everything a cat would like. See you in the lobby in a half hour.”
Kelly walked into the lobby area with a very satisfied Cayo walking next to her. “Looks like the van’s here, and I see Carola and Jack coming,” she said to Mike. She stooped down and petted Cayo. “Bye little guy. Thanks for everything.” She stood up and looked down at him, sure that the reflection shining in his eyes was simply a reflection of the unshed tears she had in her eyes.
“Vaya con Dios, little friend,” She followed Mike, Jack, and Carola into the van as the staff smiled and waved their goodbyes.
Recipes!
ARROZ CON POLLO (RICE WITH CHICKEN)
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup chopped onion
1 ½ tsps. minced garlic
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
½ cup white wine
1/8 tsp. saffron
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. each of salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, turning, and cooking until golden. Remove chicken and set aside.
Add green pepper, onions, and garlic to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Add rice and cook until rice is opaque, 1 – 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, wine, saffron, tomatoes, remaining salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower temperature to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
Return chicken to pan until reheated. Stir in parsley. Serve and enjoy!
ARROZ CON LECHE (RICE PUDDING)
Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups water
1 ½ cups short grained rice
1 (1/4 inch x 3 inch) strip lime peel
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp. anise seed, crushed
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/3 tsp. salt
¾ cup raisins, optional
Directions:
Combine 2 ¼ cups of water, rice, and lime peel in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is tender. While the rice is cooking, combine ½ cup water, cinnamon stick, and anise in another saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a low boil for 3 minutes, then remove saucepan from heat.
When rice is finished cooking, reduce heat to low, remove the lime peel with a slotted spoon, and gradually add evaporated milk and condensed milk into the rice. Add the cinnamon and anise flavored water, vanilla, salt, and raisins, if desired. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens, about 7 – 10 minutes. If the pudding is too watery after 10 minutes, turn up heat to medium-low and stir continuously until it reaches desired consistency. Remove from heat and pour into individual dishes. Refrigerate until fully chilled and ready to serve. Enjoy!
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