Groans and muttering. Blanche let her eyes adjust to the bright lights on this side and realized that El Señor was still lying on the abandoned gurney. The guy would not die. She hoped Antonio was half as durable.
Could she make it to the RCCC building, get nurses and get away before Bruce got back? But then what about Frank? She couldn’t leave anyone behind.
She started to move toward the golf cart. She’d get a nurse and try to find her way back to the crash. Perhaps she could waylay Bruce if he had caught Frank. She heard the distinctive thump-thump of an approaching helicopter. Al said he’d called the police. It must be the beautiful sound of rescue on the way.
She positioned herself in the center of the landing pad and waved her arms.
Chapter One Hundred
Al pulled up at the main dock, but it looked empty. Was he too late? Had they been caught?
His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw a golf cart with it’s lights out hunched in the jungle. He couldn’t make anyone out. Friend or foe he thought.
He cleared his throat and called out, “Hey ladies? Blanche? Anyone need a ride. Any takers?”
Edna’s voice called out from the darkness, “‘Bout time you got here, Al Davison.”
Then the form of a wheelchair and a walker emerged on the dock.
Chapter One Hundred One
Blanche led the paramedics to Antonio. As they worked on him, he became conscious groaning. He grabbed Blanche’s forearm with surprising strength. She hoped that was a good sign.
“Get your reporter to the hospital. I gotta talk.” He closed his eyes a moment. “I gotta talk before they work on me. Hear me?” His head bowed. Blanche worried maybe he’d lost consciousness again.
His dark eyes opened again and bore into hers, “Señor Rafael?”
“He didn’t get away. He will probably be in the same hospital with you thanks to your fine ministering of health care. You may get another chance to wipe him out yet.” Blanche tried to spark some life back into those dark Cuban eyes.
Antonio flinched with pain but gave a nod. “Justice not death.”
Tonio made a stink that she was his wife, so they let her ride on the helicopter to the hospital on the main land. She talked a paramedic in to letting her use a cellphone. She implied it was family she was calling, but she wanted John Mateo to meet them at the emergency room.
The nice paramedic asked, “But do you know the number?”
Blanche raised her chin. “My generation memorized numbers we wanted to know.”
At the hospital, Antonio insisted they not start pain killers or anesthesia until he first spoke with John from the Sun Sentinel. He could not rest unless he made sure the story of Señor Rafael Angel Castellano was known and El Tigre vindicated. Blanche held his hand while he stumbled through the story. Blanche had convinced a hospital staff person to call Alvaro Funosa. Antonio’s handsome nephew arrived just before the hospital personnel took him into surgery.
Chapter One Hundred Two
Blanche sat pool side at a modest four-bedroom home in a gated community not too far from her condo. Al sipped a fancy umbrella drink.
“This is the life, huh?” he said as AnaRosa put a tray of enchiladas on the table. Shirley-Veda got up from her sunbathing and came to eat.
“Aren’t we waiting on Janice?” Blanche asked.
“Aww, she’s running the numbers again. She loves that computer crap. Just eat. We don’t want AnaRosa’s good cooking to get cold.”
Blanche pulled a plate towards her. “All Janice’s computer crap is getting you a new life.”
Shirley’s eyebrows went up behind her sunglasses, “You speak the truth, Miss Blanche that’s for sure. She’s got me on a tight budget but this sure beats trying to hide from Carlos.” She shivered. “Or entertaining Señor from Cuba.” She patted her freshly dyed hair. “Did the Medicare fraud case get any traction yet?”
“I filed it while you were all goofing around in the woods,” Al said.
Blanche smiled and rolled her eyes, “It’s a real investigation now, but it will be a year or so before AnaRosa could see any reward funds. Nice of you to employ her in the meantime.”
“It’s shared. Janice and I are splitting 50/50 on costs.” Shirley-Veda drank deeply from a mojito. “Well, but the house is hers.” She added sheepishly. “But AnaRosa is great with helping Janice get situated in her wheel chair every day.”
“When’s the photo shoot?” Al asked rather indelicately Blanche thought.
Shirley snorted. “When the check clears the bank. Though it looks like it is going to happen.” She touched the left side of her face behind a more delicate pair of sunglasses than those she’d worn at RCCC. “I told the story of my mean old man for the Dragon and gave the childhood photos. Janice is negotiating a higher fee if it’s current photos versus old publicity photos. The tabloid,“ she sighed, “they want the whole RCCC drama and that means new photos.” She looked toward the pool. “Beats being dead though. Poor Antonio.” She sighed and took another big swallow of her drink.
“What a way to go.” Al said dancing his hat. “Helicopter wreck.” He let out an admiring whistle.
“Well, he was in surgery...” Blanche began.
“Doesn’t count. It was the wreck. Plus that exposé in the paper El Tigre justified and a big bust on Señor Rafael. I’d say Tonio went out with fireworks.”
Blanche let him win the argument. Let the old man have his ego points. Antonio deserved his too. He’d gotten a redeeming write up in the newspaper and John had called to say a movie company contacted him about the El Tigre story. Antonio would be vindicated and Señor Rafael faced prosecutions, extradition, and possibly some awkward facial scars. Bruce was under prosecution too but for very different crimes.
Blanche felt bad that RCCC had been taken over by the government for the time being and she figured that wasn’t an improvement for most of the folks. Bruce had run a tight if rather deceitful ship. He hadn’t wanted officials snooping so he kept everyone fed and clean.
Blanche heard her phone ring in her white vinyl bag. She pulled out a fancy brand new mobile phone and hit the right button the first time.
“Perfect. Yes, we’ll be there in 10 or 15.” She disconnected and gave a good laugh.
“And?” Shirley-Veda said.
“Frank’s coming to the building to scare the crap out of our trouble maker neighbor, Sal. Seems the Sabitinis know of him and are ready to put him in his place. Frank’s daughter is bringing him by. The condo commando will cause troubles no more or the mob will be on him.”
“Did Frank ever get to that guy out on the island?” The movie star loved to have a corner on the gossip market Blanche realized.
“No, they came to an ‘understanding.’ I’m not sure what it was and I don’t think I want to know because it probably was illegal. Greg expressed his gratitude to me in the end despite the damage to his car.” She looked pointedly at Al.
Al harrumphed. “You and the ladies got rescued, didn’t you? Anyway, hurry up,” Al said getting his canes under him. “I want to see Sal get his.”
Shirley-Veda stood and kissed Al on the cheek and he blushed all the way up to his hat.
“Did Dragon give you anything at all?” Shirley asked as Blanche gathered her bag.
“I did get an honorarium that got my car fixed up and new tires, but my real pay is you and the others are out of there.
When they pulled up at Seaside Flats, Blanche saw Edna balanced on her walker outside of the Dragon’s car.
Diane lowered her tinted window, so Blanche could see her face. “I suppose you think I should thank you.”
Blanche just smiled and winked at Edna.
“Thank you for getting my mom back in your stink hole of a condo.”
“It is not a stink hole!” Al snapped waving a cane.
“You’re welcome for the really amazing story on Veda Vespucci’s childhood that you’re about to publish somewhere.” Blanche could snark
right back at the Dragon. Diane screeched her tires and pulled out.
“So much for gratitude.” Edna said.
“A dying art, I suppose.” Blanche said looking at the back end of the car.
The three looked at each other and laughed.
Complicated Care Page 31
