Back on Solid Ground

by Debra Trueman

  “I almost hope you’re wrong, because if you’re right, I have no idea who I need to be looking for,” Niki told him.

  They rode in silence for a while and Niki allowed himself to think about Stacy for the first time since he had kissed her goodbye that morning. She had a way of consuming his thoughts if he let her, so he had made it a point to concentrate on anything but her. The truth was, he already missed her, and Niki realized that for the first time, he was thinking in terms of returning to a person and not a place.

  They drove about 350 km and pulled over at a shack before they reached Las Manos. They would not be using the overland border crossing and Sandoval didn’t want to go any further until it got dark. Once they crossed into Nicaragua, they would have at least another couple hours’ drive before they reached Ortega’s home, depending on the conditions of the roads. Not only was night travel unsafe in terms of the criminal element, but the roads themselves posed another safety threat, as they were narrow and in poor repair with potholes and an absence of shoulders. It was not uncommon to find oxcarts or horses traveling the main thoroughfares, or broken down vehicles abandoned on the roads.

  The men got out of the jeep and stretched their legs then went into the shack for a bite to eat. When they finished, Sandoval pulled the jeep off the main road and they waited for nightfall.

  Chapter 18

  Carlos was in the kitchen when Stacy and Eli came up from the beach.

  “You’re burned,” Carlos said, as soon as he saw Stacy.

  “I know, Mama Carlos,” Stacy said. “And the muscles in my shoulders and back are killing me.”

  “I have a great massage oil for that,” Carlos said, and Stacy looked over at Eli and smiled.

  “What’s for lunch?” she asked.

  “I was just getting ready to look,” Carlos said. “Do you want a beer?”

  “I’d love one,” Stacy said. Carlos opened one and handed it to her. She turned the bottle upside down and gulped half of it while Carlos and Eli watched in amazement. “I’m so thirsty,” she said, unaware of her performance.

  “So we see,” Eli said sarcastically.

  “What?” Stacy said defensively.

  “I don’t know,” Eli said. “Girls don’t usually chug beer.”

  “Oh brother,” Stacy said. She set the beer down on the counter and went to the refrigerator. “Leftover enchiladas?” she suggested, taking the dish out.

  “Here,” said Carlos, taking the dish. “I’ll do it. You made breakfast.”

  She sat down at the table with her beer while Carlos and Eli served the plates and heated them in the microwave, then Eli brought Stacy’s plate to the table. They finished lunch and Stacy was lying on the floor in the living room waiting for her massage. Carlos had gone to get his massage oil and Eli was on the couch channel surfing. He would flip to one channel, and just when Stacy would get interested in the program, he would change it.

  “Will you stop doing that!” Stacy said, finally.

  Eli laughed.

  “Gross, there’s something nasty on the carpet. I think it’s scrambled egg,” Stacy said. “Did you eat breakfast in here?”

  “Yeah,” he said, then added, “You should have checked the floor for egg.”

  Stacy spun around. “Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon!” she exclaimed.

  “I can’t believe you know that!” Eli laughed.

  Stacy sat up. “Okay, what’s this from?” Stacy asked. “Chrissie, get me the big knife!”

  “Too easy,” Eli laughed. “Moonstruck.” He thought for a second, “Snakes. I hate snakes.”

  “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” she said.

  The game was interrupted when Carlos came in with his herbal oil. He knelt beside Stacy, squeezed the massage oil onto her back and started rubbing her sore muscles.

  “Oh my God, that feels incredible,” Stacy moaned.

  “Your muscles are wound up tight as a drum,” he said, pinching her shoulders. “Relax!” he said, shaking her.

  “It’s all the stress you men have put me through,” Stacy said. “I’ve probably aged ten years.”

  “You are looking pretty ragged,” Eli said.

  “Hey!” Stacy said. She lifted up her head and Carlos pushed it back down.

  “Stop talking and relax,” Carlos instructed. “Half of your problem is that you need to relax.”

  Stacy closed her eyes and tried to relax. She wondered where Niki and Jason were and what they were doing but she knew better than to ask. If Niki had wanted her to know where he was going he would have told her.

  A shiver went down Stacy’s spine and she got a weird feeling. “You’re in my head again aren’t you, Carlos?” Stacy said, looking over her shoulder.

  Carlos was shocked. “You could feel it?”

  “Yes, and it gave me the creeps again.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Carlos exclaimed. “You have the gift as well, Stacy.”

  “Not like you,” she clarified. “Mine are just isolated incidents. More of a gut feeling that something is one way or another.”

  “And what do you think being psychic is?” Carlos asked. “It’s learning to listen to that inner voice – your gut feeling as you call it – and trust that it always tells the truth. You should practice and refine your skills, Stacy.”

  “I’m not into meditating, if that’s what you mean. I’ve tried it and it sucks.”

  Carlos smiled. “No, I don’t necessarily mean meditating, although it works well for many people. But when you get that feeling you were talking about, where you know something is one way or the other, give yourself over to your mind for a moment and see where it takes you.”

  “I’ll try,” Stacy said. She laid her head back down and her mind went back to Niki. “Do you think he misses me, Carlos?”

  Carlos laughed. “I can’t speak for Niki, but if it were me, I’d miss you,” he said.

  “You’re very diplomatic.” Stacy closed her eyes and smiled.

  “When do you think they’ll be back?”

  “Is it possible for you to lie there and relax, without speaking, while I finish your massage?” Carlos asked.

  “I’ll try,” Stacy said. She cleared her mind and closed her eyes and let Carlos perform his magic on her back. When he had finished, Stacy was so relaxed that she fell asleep on the floor and slept for hours.

  Stacy woke up and looked around. The room was empty and the house was quiet. She went to the kitchen, but no one was there, so she went out on the veranda and looked out over the balcony.

  “There you are,” Eli said, coming out on the veranda. “When did you wake up?”

  “Just now,” she said. “I swear, I’ve never slept so much in my life, as I have the last few days.”

  “Your body needs it,” Eli said. He pulled a chair out and sat down and Stacy came over and sat in the chair beside him.

  “You seem awfully serious,” Stacy said. “What’s the matter? You worried about your brother?”

  Eli turned and looked at Stacy. Her cheeks were pink from the sun and it made her eyes even greener. She looked beautiful and he reached over and touched her hand. “I’ll just be glad when they get back,” Eli said.

  “Me too,” she said, attempting a smile.

  Eli picked up Stacy’s hand and looked at her blisters. “You look like Scarlet O’Hara.”

  She took her hand back and held it up beside her other one. “Oh well,” she said, examining them. “The beach looks better.”

  Eli smiled at her. “I need to get some work done,” he said, pushing his chair back. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my room.”

  Stacy passed the rest of the afternoon largely on her own. Consuela never surfaced again and Eli and Carlos were both busy with something behind closed doors. She had a lot of time to ponder what had happened and to speculate on what was going to.

  When she thought with her head, Stacy knew that her infatuation with Niki was ridiculous. It was downright stupid and even poten
tially dangerous. And it was unlike her to be so totally swept up emotionally as to throw all caution to the wind – especially where a man was concerned. The thought of a lasting relationship with this man she didn’t even know defied logic, truth and common sense. And in the back of her mind, she couldn’t discount the very real possibility that her feelings were part of some kidnapping syndrome.

  But when she thought with her heart, all reason was lost. She had never had such strong feelings for anyone, and the thought of never seeing him again literally made her heartsick. She couldn’t imagine leaving him and going home.

  And then, when she had thought about it long enough, Stacy started to second-guess her feelings for Niki. She told herself she had probably exaggerated her feelings and that when Niki came back, she would realize that she didn’t like him that much after all, much less love him.

  By the end of the day, Stacy was drained. Her mental barrage ended with a vow that she would let things happen how they happen – that she would not manipulate the situation one way or another. Stacy would wait until she saw Niki again and see how she felt. If she liked him, so be it; if not, fine. It was as easy as that.

  It was still early, but Stacy was tired and ready for bed. She stopped by Carlos’ room but he wasn’t there, so she knocked on Eli’s door before going back to her own room.

  “Yeah,” he called from inside.

  Stacy opened the door and stood in the doorway. “It’s me.”

  Eli was working at his computer. “Hey, what’s up?” he said, getting up and coming into his living area.

  Stacy walked further into the room and stood beside the couch. “I just wanted to let you know, I’m going to bed.”

  He looked at his watch. “Now? It only 8:00 o’clock.”

  “I’m really tired.”

  “Did you eat?”

  “No. I don’t have much appetite,” she said. She turned to leave and Eli followed her to the door.

  “You sleeping in Niki’s room?” he asked.

  “I hadn’t planned to. I’d feel kind of weird sleeping in there without him.”

  “No, you need to. I don’t want you all the way down there by yourself,” he said motioning to the guest wing. “If you’re in Niki’s room, Carlos will be right across the hall.” Eli walked out in the hall with her. “Come on. I’ll walk you down.”

  “I need to get some stuff from my room first.”

  Eli walked her down the hall and sat on the bed while Stacy gathered up her few things. She had gone in the bathroom for her toothbrush but she came back empty-handed.

  “You know what,” she said. “I feel very presumptuous moving into Niki’s room while he’s gone and I’m not going to do it. I’m going to sleep here.”

  “No, you’re not,” Eli said emphatically.

  “Yeah, I am,” Stacy said. If I wasn’t before, I sure as hell am now, she thought.

  “Stacy, just get your stuff and let’s go,” Eli said, getting irritated. He got off the bed and picked up the small stack of clothes that Consuela had given her and stuck it under his arm. “Get your toothbrush.”

  “Fuck you, Eli.” She was looking at him like she had in the kitchen during the hair scene.

  Eli breathed out heavily. When he finally spoke, he spoke slowly so he wouldn’t say the wrong thing and piss her off even more.

  “I’m sorry, Stacy. I shouldn’t have said that like I was forbidding you to sleep here,” he said. “I realize that you feel weird sleeping in Niki’s bed when he’s not here, but it’s not like he wouldn’t want you there.”

  Stacy backed off. “I just don’t want him to come home and find all my stuff in there, like I’ve just moved in while he’s gone.”

  “All your stuff?” Eli said, holding up the little stack of clothes. “Stacy, you make it sound like you’re going to take up half his closet!”

  Stacy didn’t say anything.

  “Please Stacy. Niki would be pissed if I let you sleep in here. It’s a safety issue.”

  “Okay, Eli,” Stacy said. She went back in the bathroom and came out with her toothbrush. “This is yours,” she said, holding out her hand.

  “You stole my Swiss Army knife!” he laughed.

  “Yeah, I checked out your room before Niki caught me in his.”

  “You little witch,” he said, thoroughly impressed.

  They left Stacy’s room and Eli walked her down to Niki’s. He went in and looked over the room and made sure that Niki’s pistol was on the bedside table.

  “You need anything?” Eli asked.

  Stacy smiled at him. “Just sleep.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. He walked out into the hall and closed the door behind him, just as Carlos was coming out of his room. Eli leaned up against the wall and banged his head against it.

  Carlos laughed out loud. “What now?”

  Eli shook his head. “She’s impossible. God help my brother.”

  Chapter 19

  It was close to midnight by the time Niki, Jason and Sandoval made it into Nicaragua and found the road that would take them to Ortega’s. There was no moon and the night was pitch black. Both Niki and Jason had taken their M-16s out of their duffel bags and each had a 9mm in his waistband; Niki also had a hunting knife in his boot. He hadn’t asked what Sandoval was packing, but he knew he would be heavily armed as well. The three were laughing about something when they came around a corner and ran into trouble.

  “Shit!” Sandoval said, hitting the brakes and swerving just in time to miss running up the back of another car.

  The jeep’s lights lit up the scene and Niki assessed the situation in a sweeping glance. There were two cars on the road, one facing the same direction as the jeep and the other butted up to the first facing it. Neither car had its lights on. There was a half-nude woman on the ground screaming, and a man was on top of her tearing at her clothes. Three other men were standing around cheering their friend on.

  Niki and Jason jumped out of the jeep. When the car lights hit them, the three men who were standing went for their guns, but before they could get a shot off, Jason’s M-16 had spit out a dozen rounds and dropped all three of them. By the time the other realized what was going on, Niki’s boot was in his face. Niki kicked the guy out of the way and bent down to check on the woman. “Are you okay,” Niki asked in Spanish. She had been beaten about the face and her right eye was swollen shut, but she was coherent enough to point to her husband, who was either dead or unconscious a few feet away.

  Jason went over to check on the man. “He’s alive, he’s just out,” Jason told the woman in Spanish. Jason went back to the jeep and got some water and poured some on the man’s face then gave some to the woman. She was more concerned about her husband than herself and she sat beside him waiting for him to come to.

  Sandoval, Niki and Jason dragged the four bodies into the bushes and pushed their car off the road. By the time they had finished, the woman’s husband was awake.

  “Can you drive?” Niki asked the man in Spanish.

  “Si,” he said, and he thanked Niki for saving their lives.

  “Let’s get out of here before someone finds us here,” Niki told Sandoval. They got back in the jeep and headed towards Ortega’s house.

  It was after 2:00 a.m. when they arrived at the long driveway that led up to the house. “It’s right up there,” Sandoval said, pointing to the top of the hill. “How do you want to do this?”

  “Drive a little farther and Jason and I will go on foot,” said Niki.

  Sandoval drove as far up as he thought prudent and Niki and Jason got out. They each had a flashlight on their belt that lit the ground several feet in front of them.

  “Damn, it’s dark,” Jason said. “I guess that’s good though.”

  They had come to the top of the hill but all they could see was black.

  “I can’t even see the damn house.” Niki said.

  They walked farther and Jason took the light off of his belt and h
eld it up over his head. Nothing.

  “What the fuck?” Niki said.

  He was just beginning to think that Sandoval was a rat, when he saw something faintly glowing on the ground farther up ahead of them. They walked further and got right up to it and Niki and Jason realized at the same time what they were looking at. The house had been burned to the ground and there were still red-hot coals in the bottom of the ashes.

  “Son of a bitch,” Jason said, under his breath. He picked up a handful of ashes and sifted them through his fingers.

  Niki shook his head. “I guess he was a trustworthy criminal.”

  “You think he was inside when it was torched?” Jason asked.

  “Don’t you?”

  “Probably. I’d assume anyway.”

  “Yeah,” Niki agreed. “Do you think it’s worth sticking around until morning to see if we find anything?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything left here to find,” Jason said.

  “Let’s go home.”

  They walked back to the car and headed back to Honduras.

  The drive back was faster than the drive over, but it would be light in less than two hours. They were getting close to the curve where the couple had been assaulted. Sandoval drove slowly as they approached the curve. The car they had pushed off the road was gone and there was no sign of anyone.

  “Someone already stole the car,” Sandoval said. They looked in the bushes as they drove past and could see that the bodies were still there. “They probably won’t be discovered until they start smelling,” Sandoval said. He sped up and headed toward the Honduran border.

  “We can still make it back tonight,” Jason said, looking at his watch.

  “Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Niki agreed.

  “So what’s the plan?” Jason said.