by Kait Carson
“You can go,” Janice barked. “I will take care of my sister.”
The uniformed woman looked up. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” Elena struggled in her arms.
“You’ll hurt her, she’s pregnant. You fool.” Janice eyed the nameplate on the woman’s shirt pocket. “Officer Esposito.”
“I know. She told us.”
Officer Esposito didn’t relax her grip.
Elena gave a mighty wrench, managed to free herself from Esposito’s grasp, and dove into Janice’s arms sending her crashing backwards into the sliding glass door. Janice managed to hang on to both Elena and the frame of the window stopping them from flying outside. As she straightened, she set Elena on her feet and cupped her face in her hands. Elena was angry. Outraged at the intrusion, but she wasn’t afraid. So far, she hadn’t registered Hayden’s presence.
“It’s the Elena Mia, they won’t tell me. I know it is.” Elena stamped her foot. “Richard is dead, his boat is here, home port.” She looked into her sister’s face. “You are on the water. Isn’t home port safety?” Elena allowed Janice to steer her toward a brightly colored sofa as she spoke. Janice settled her in the corner and sat next to her.
Officer Esposito stood watching the scene, her head cocked to one side. A flame of red receding from her face and neck.
“Let me get you something to calm you. Some tea?” Hayden spoke for the first time.
Elena glanced at her. A look of recognition in her eyes. She nodded and patted the cushion next to her. “They’re going to find my handbag you know. It’s on the boat.”
Janice cast a quick glance at the Sheriff’s Department officer. The woman had removed a small notebook and pencil from her pocket. Janice winced hearing her sister’s comments through the ears of a policeman.
“She didn’t mean anything by that remark,” Janice announced to the officer.
Esposito looked up from her pad. “You know the drill. I have to take it down.”
“Elena, don’t say another word. Not until we can speak alone or with a lawyer present.” Her voice sounded harsh.
“They will know.” The light haired woman looked down at the clenched fists in her lap.
“Elena…”
“Where will they find the handbag?” Officer Esposito asked.
Janice balled her hands into fists. Hayden could tell she wanted to rip the ears from the woman’s head. Sweat dappled her blouse. “Leave her alone,” she hissed. She dropped her head to her sister and whispered in her ear, “Say nothing. Say no more.”
Esposito cast a glance of contempt at Janice. “Leave. I was instructed to stay with her. You have to go.”
“I’m family.”
“You’re obstructing, get out or I will have you removed and will have my supervisor file a complaint.”
“You have no right…”
Both women stopped their bickering at Elena’s loud wail. While Janice watched, she pushed herself to her feet and crumpled to the floor. Officer Esposito keyed her mike and called for the ambulance crew. Janice grabbed a couch pillow and placed it under her sister’s head. “Get something to cover her with. I don’t want her to go into shock,” she ordered Hayden.
Hayden looked around for something, anything. The woman didn’t have even an afghan in the Florida room. She headed for the living room. The sound of running feet entering the house froze her in place. The paramedics were in the room. Janice sat on the spotless floor massaging her sister’s forehead. As one of the men flipped the latches on the first aid box he carried, Elena opened her eyes. She pushed the medic out of her way and pointed to the window. “Look.”
The boat, a light green coating covering the formerly pristine hull, emerged. A heavy curtain of seawater dripped from the exposed surfaces. Swathes of torn Bimini top hung from its aluminum skeleton. It was more like a scene from a movie than reality. Hayden half expected to see the creature from the black lagoon step back from the wheel. Even the medics were fascinated by the vision unfolding before them. The pump worked furiously to keep up with the volume of water. As the boat stabilized, one of the divers hoisted himself out of the water and onto the dock. From there he crossed the boat and stepped over the gunnel.
A glance passed between the sisters. Elena propped herself up, using one of the medic’s arms, so she could get a better view.
The diver came back to the dock and walked up to a waiting police officer that Hayden recognized as Officer Barton. The two stood talking for a few moments, then Barton turned and walked toward the house. In her hand she held a clear dry bag. The contents of the dry bag looked to be a woman’s handbag. Elena fell back to the pillows her sister had placed beneath her. The medics, as if just remembering why they were in the house, began the well-choreographed routine of caring for their patient.
As if in slow motion, Janice and Hayden watched Barton move toward the sliding glass doors. Officer Esposito moved into their field of vision as she rolled the sliding glass door back to admit the taller policewoman.
Barton’s face softened as she glanced at Elena on the floor. She moved quietly to Janice, the dry bag still gripped in her hand.
“She okay?” The woman indicated Elena with a sweep of her hand.
“Yes. She gets like this every pregnancy.” Janice’s face was mottled. Her eyes held a sheen of unshed tears. “What have you got?”
“Do you know if this is her handbag?”
Janice took the dry bag and without opening it looked at the contents. A soggy designer envelope style clutch. “She was so thrilled when she found the purse in a thrift store in Key West. I didn’t want to tell her it was probably a fake. It seemed harmless for her to believe she had a real designer handbag.” Tears spilled from her eyes. “That bastard she was married to could have given her the real thing. Instead, he treated her on the cheap.” Janice looked surprised at the look on Barton’s face.
“I didn’t like him. It’s no secret. But she did, loved him in fact. Made every excuse in the book to stay with him. He was the father of her children. The one she’s carrying now. The bastard raped her.” Janice handed the dry bag back. “Yes. It’s my sister’s handbag. Where was it?”
“The petcocks were wide open. The boat didn’t sink, it was sunk.” Officer Barton’s face softened. “You’ll be responsible for her?”
When Janice nodded, Barton continued, “We’ve got more investigation to do, but Janice, you do understand…”
“You’re going to apply for a warrant.”
Thirty-Eight
The day dawned bright and hot. Outside her window sun devils shimmered over the asphalt road in front of her house.
Hayden couldn’t believe she felt this good today when she felt so bad yesterday. She padded into the kitchen, fed Tiger Cat and put the coffee on to perk. She stretched, reached her hand behind her head and felt the bandage. She read a note written in unfamiliar handwriting on the pad next to the phone. It was a reminder to see her doctor in the morning to have the bandage changed.
Her doctor’s office was on Grassy Key. He already knew she was coming after Mallory made Hayden call yesterday. She’d stop on the way to Plantation to sign the statement.
Hayden rummaged through her address book and found the card with Janice’s number on it. She wanted to find out how Elena was doing. Yesterday’s events were hard on both sisters. Glancing at the clock, she decided nine o’clock was late enough to call. Hayden dialed the number but got voicemail. She left a message of good wishes for Janice and Elena. She called Mallory at the office and told her she planned to walk over to Mallory’s house and pick up her Tahoe. Game plan for the day set, Hayden dressed and set out for Mallory’s.
Janice called Hayden’s cell phone while she was hoofing it through the hot streets. The officer sounded exhausted. Hayden knew that Monroe County advised Elena to
stay available. She heard the officers tell Janice that professional courtesy was the only reason Elena was allowed to go with her instead of to jail.
Monroe County confirmed the boat behind the house was Richard’s Mako, Janice told Hayden. The FL numbers on the side of the vessel matched. The boat had no external damage, no sign of being involved in an accident. Nothing other than the damage caused when the boat filled with water because the petcocks were opened.
Current thinking held Elena killed her husband over the Humboldt and scuttled the boat in their backyard after she drove it home. They couldn’t decide if Elena made up the blackout story or if she blacked out after she scuttled the boat. Either way, they were fitting her for her husband’s murder. Janice thought they’d have a warrant today or tomorrow. She didn’t want her sister to be alone when Monroe County served the warrant.
Hayden offered to help any way she could. She gave Janice Mallory’s office number and suggested Elena talk to Ed before the warrant came down.
After she pushed the red button to disconnect the call, Hayden climbed into her truck and adjusted the seat. Once again, she remembered Falkner Marina when she’d adjusted the seat. She still couldn’t make that make sense. Starting the car she headed north on U.S. 1 to Grassy Key. Changing the bandage took a couple of minutes. Mallory was right, the paramedics had shaved her a little skullcap. At least she wore her hair short. It would take it less time to grow back and even out.
As Hayden rounded the curve from Duck Key to Long Key, she noticed a car snugged right up on her bumper, close enough so she couldn’t see much of the hood. The little bit of it she saw looked silver. The sun was so bright she couldn’t be sure. The windshield had a reflective tint. She couldn’t see the driver, or any passengers. Remembering a driving course she’d taken, she slowed down, hoping the car would pass her. The car stayed snugged up to her bumper. Hayden slowed more and started to pull over to the shoulder. Long Key Park was on either side of the road, but the shoulders were ample.
The car behind her accelerated, pulled up alongside her car and swerved towards the Tahoe.
Frantic, Hayden swerved in response to the move and then fought to keep her car from veering off the road into the borrow pit. Trying to use one eye and keep her other on the road and silver car, she searched for another car.
The silver car dropped back behind her again. Thoroughly frightened, Hayden regained control of her vehicle and sped up. She wanted to get off this unpopulated stretch of road and over the next bridge where a small town was located. The car behind her swerved around her side again.
This time it crashed into her bumper and then followed up by sideswiping her. Hayden jerked the wheel trying to avoid the collision. The motion caused her to swerve into the soft shoulder, the silver car sideswiped her again forcing her into the borrow pit.
“Oh my God,” Hayden shouted.
The Tahoe rocked on its wheels and began to tip onto its side. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. The weight of the vehicle pulled it down the culvert and it landed on the passenger side door. Hayden saw the wheels spinning in the air on her side but she couldn’t see the silver car. Shaking uncontrollably, she managed to brace her feet against the console and unfasten her seat belt without tumbling into the passenger side.
She stood on the passenger side armrest for leverage and forced the driver side door open. She was pulling herself up when hands grasped her.
“Thank you, I’m so glad someone stopped,” Hayden said as she struggled to get out of the door. She turned her face to the arms that held her and smelled aftershave. The same aftershave she’d smelled in her house. The same aftershave one of the cops wore. She struggled to free herself from the grasp of the man who held her.
“Do you have her?” Hayden heard Kevin’s voice. Kevin, it had been Kevin all along. He worked with his brother, he smuggled people, and he was responsible for the death of that young woman.
“I’m trying,” Paul said. “I’m gonna shoot her, no need to get her out of here.”
“Are you nuts? Your fingerprints are all over the truck. Hurry up before someone comes by. I can’t believe no one has yet.”
Hayden managed to rip her arms from Paul’s grasp and fall back into the truck. She heard the crunch of broken window glass under her sneakers. Bending down she picked up a jagged chunk and slashed out blindly. She was gratified to see a spurt of red on the grey of her interior.
She ran as best she could to the back of the truck, scrambling over the rear seat now sideways. She reached the gate doors and swung one open. Still clutching the glass, her own hand now bleeding from the pressure of her grip, she forced her way out the back door and took off for the surrounding hardwood hammock.
Hayden felt, rather than heard the shot whiz past her. Running for her life now, she ducked into a brackish pond intending to swim underwater to the far side. When she came up for air, she heard another gunshot. This one seemed farther away.
Her breath ragged in her chest, she started running again. The beach was in front of her. She’d run out of places to run. There was no cover on the beach.
Turning back wasn’t an option. Hayden worked her way on a diagonal, back towards the road hoping she could stay under the cover of the sea grape bushes until she saw a car. Stopping to listen she realized there were no sounds of pursuit. No one seemed to be following her. Emboldened, she crept closer to the road. The flashing blue lights of a Highway Patrol vehicle strobed over the road. Tears of pain, fear, and relief flowed down her cheeks as she ran back to the police car.
“Officer, please, help me,” she cried out. The officer was rendering first aid to Paul. Kevin stood close by.
Paul spun at the sound of her voice. “That’s her. The stupid woman must be drunk. She tried to block me every time I tried to pass her. She managed to smack my bumper and then she rammed me in the side. The impact forced her off the road.”
The officer turned, and prepared to take control of Hayden. Hayden screamed. A gun in Kevin’s hand pointed at her heart. The officer spun around, quick drew his weapon, and simultaneously fired a one handed shot and keyed his mike with the other.
Kevin went down.
Paul ran for his car, the engine still running and jumped in. Gunning the motor he spun the tires and raced north on U.S. 1. The Highway Patrol officer dove for his car and yanked open the door. Hayden screamed again; Kevin writhed on the ground. The officer ran around his car, grabbed Hayden and raced with her back to his patrol unit.
“Stay here and stay down,” he ordered and shoved her to the floorboards.
Over the wail of the siren, Hayden heard him call the pursuit in, request back up and two ambulances.
Thirty-Nine
Hayden smiled at Mallory from her hospital bed.
“So, they finally got you here. Good on them.”
“Oh, yada, yada,” Hayden joked. “Between the head and the hand, I was running out of extremities. Can you believe they’re keeping me for observation? Who knew they did that in this day and age of managed care.”
“Janice is on her way up. I met her in the parking lot. Let’s wait for her. She’s thrilled. Her sister is in the clear.”
Mallory and Janice pulled up chairs. There was a soft knock on the doorframe. Hayden pulled her gaze from her friends to the door and saw Grant laden with a dozen roses, a box of Black Magic chocolate, and a huge teddy bear dressed in a Sherlock Holmes get-up. “Is this a hen party or can roosters attend?”
“Roosters with chocolate are very welcome. Grab a chair, Hayden was getting ready to tell us how this all turned out,” Mallory said.
Grant walked over and kissed Hayden on the cheek. “Well, at least you’re still alive but I’m betting you’re on medical leave until the bandages come off the hand and you can type.”
The three women laughed.
“Yep, that’s a lawyer for you. What can you do for me now?” Hayden laughed. Then she sobered and said, “It was Paul. I should have seen it. Paul and Kevin.”
Sorrow filled her eyes. “Paul used his position and directed the cutter away from the routes the go-fast boats were taking so they could avoid interdiction. In return for his trouble, he got a cut of the smuggler’s loot. For the most part, it worked to the refugees’ advantage. The go-fasts came in closer to shore giving the illegals an easier swim to shore and access to the U.S. as dry foot Cubans. Unfortunately, close is not close enough if you can’t swim, or if you get tangled in your clothes.”
“Is that what happened to the girl they found at the end of your block?” Mallory asked.
Hayden shook her head. “No, but it has happened. There’s been testimony at Krome about it.
“It looks like Paul hooked up with Richard through Samantha. She’s one of Paul’s sisters-in-law. He hardly ever spent time at the Penmartin house but when he did, he met Richard. It was right after Richard got the boat and was searching for a way to pay for it. His parents refused to help him with boat payments. Not one to give up, he concocted the story that Elena was a spendthrift. Told the Andersons that she’d gone through his trust fund and his savings. He had them convinced she spent even the children’s grocery money. They hated her. Richard made sure they never saw their grandchildren and that they blamed Elena for the estrangement. He had them believing she didn’t want them in her children’s life because they were Anglo. She wanted her children raised in a Cuban tradition.”
Janice interrupted, “My sister loves her Cuban roots but she constantly told me her kids were one hundred percent Anglo. She never even taught them to speak Spanish. She said we owed a debt of gratitude to this country and she believed raising her kids in all the American traditions was the best way to repay it.”
