by Stuart Woods
He picked his way through the crowd as quickly as he could without exciting attention, excusing himself as he pushed past people, fixing a smile on his face to hide his fear. Jinx seemed to be staring past Prince into the middle distance. Please, honey, don’t see Dell, don’t see me, he prayed to her.
He reached Dell and took his arm, turning him away from Jinx. “Don’t say anything, just smile, and come with me.”
“What . . .” Dell began.
“Be quiet, and smile.” Cat began steering him through the crowd toward some French doors at the rear of the room. “Just keep moving, and don’t say anything,” he said again. Cat got the door open and pushed Dell ahead of him. They were in a courtyard with a fountain, surrounded on all four sides by the house.
“She’s dead,” Dell said. “Isn’t she dead?”
“No, she’s not dead. It’s Jinx.” Cat led him to the fountain and sat him down on the edge.
“What’s happening?” Dell asked in a small, frightened voice. “Why are you here? Why is Jinx here?”
“Listen to me,” Cat said. “Jinx didn’t die on the boat; it was another girl. She was taken off the boat while I was unconscious. I didn’t find out until a few weeks ago. I’ve been looking for her ever since. I didn’t see her until about a minute before you did.” He stopped and waited for a reaction.
There were tears on Dell’s face, and he was taking deep breaths.
“Just take it easy and relax,” Cat said. “Just get your breath.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Dell said. “I break my ass to get a million bucks together, and I get down here to this unbelievable fucking place, and I find my dead sister and you, for Christ’s sake!” He turned and looked at Cat for the first time. “Where’s Mom?”
“She died on the boat,” Cat said. “There was no mistake about that.” He looked at Dell closely. The boy seemed to be rational, now. “I’m going to get Jinx out of here, and it’s important that you don’t do anything to screw it up.”
“Screw it up?” Dell almost shouted. “You’re the one who’s screwing it up! I’m not going to let you screw it up. I’ve paid a million dollars and only two hundred thousand was mine, and I’m going to get what I came for. I can’t go back to Miami without it. They’ll cut me into tiny pieces.”
“That’s not important anymore,” Cat said. “All that’s important is getting Jinx out of here.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Dell asked. “Do you know where the fuck you are? You’re in the middle of the jungle, and the only way out of here is by the helicopter that brought you in here!”
“You can’t turn me in to Prince,” Cat said.
“Who?”
“The man with the ponytail.”
“The Anaconda? Sure, I can turn you in to him. I would have a minute ago, but when I saw Jinx I got confused. What is she doing with the Anaconda?”
“His name is Prince. He kidnapped her, or had her kidnapped, or bought her, or something—I’m not sure. All I know is that she’s here against her will.”
“No, no, that can’t be; she’s standing in there talking to people like she owned the place. She’s gotta be here because she wants to be. She’d be screaming her head off, otherwise.”
“Screaming? She’s in the middle of the jungle with a bunch of drug dealers. What’s she supposed to do, call the police?”
“I don’t understand how you could have known she was here.”
“She was being held at a hotel in Cartagena, and she got to a telephone and called me. I got some help, and I finally tracked her down.”
Dell stood up and started pacing back and forth by the fountain. “And I’m supposed to believe all that? I think you’re here because I’m here. You found out I got this deal together, and you’re trying to fuck me again.”
“Dell, I promise you I hadn’t the slightest idea you were here until I saw you walk into the room. I don’t care what you’re doing here, and I’m not trying to screw it up for you, I just want to get Jinx out of here, and to do that, I need your help.”
Dell whirled on him. “You bastard, you’ve got a lot of balls asking for my help.”
“It’s Jinx who needs your help. Do you hate her, too?”
“Of course not!”
“Then just do this—stay out of my way, and keep your mouth shut. Can you do that much, at least?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, and I need time to figure it out. Prince—the Anaconda—thinks I’m here for the same reason you are. I had to come up with a million bucks, too.” Cat took a deep breath. “Look, I’ve got to trust you with something. Can I do that?”
“Probably not.”
“You’re in almost as much danger as Jinx is.”
“Yeah, how? It feels pretty safe to me around here.”
“It’s not. This place is going to be raided by the Colombian army shortly.”
“Bullshit! You expect me to believe that?”
“You’ve got to believe it. I’ve been in on the planning. They’re going to hit this place with everything they’ve got—helicopters, paratroopers, heavy weapons—the works. They’re going to come in here and turn this place into a war zone.”
“How can they even know where it is?” Dell demanded. “We’re completely lost out here.”
“They already know exactly where it is,” Cat lied. “There was an informer. They’re grouping their forces less than two hundred miles from here, in a place just across the Brazilian border, and when they hit, they’re going to shoot at anything that moves.”
“I don’t believe you. How can I believe you?”
“You don’t have to take my word for all this. Think about what you already know to be true. One of Prince’s right-hand men murdered your mother and kidnapped your sister. God only knows what they’ve been doing to her. Your sister’s life depends on what you do next. If that’s not important enough for you, your life depends on it.”
Dell walked back and forth a few times without speaking. Then he turned to Cat. “What is it you want me to do?” he asked, warily.
“First, stay away from Jinx. Don’t let her see you. We can’t surprise her while she’s in the middle of this crowd. If she does spot you, tell her to be quiet and stay away from her. I’ll find a way to get word to her that we’re here. There’s a woman named Meg with me. She’s helping.”
“This is crazy,” Dell said, shaking his head.
“I know it’s crazy, but you’re stuck with it—all of us are stuck with it. What I’ve got to do is to get Jinx away from these people and hide her until the raid is over. We’ll probably have to take to the jungle until the shooting stops, and I’d like you to come with us. Your chances are not very good here.”
Dell was standing still, glaring at him. “What I’m going to do is to go back in there and tell the Anaconda about this raid. He’ll know what to do about it.”
“What can he do?” Cat demanded. “As far as I can tell, everybody at this meeting was brought here in one six-passenger helicopter—there wasn’t another one at the Leticia Airport. You tell the Anaconda about this, you know what he’ll do? He’ll climb aboard that chopper and get out of here, and the hell with anybody else. It’ll be the Colombian troops or the jungle—take your pick.”
Dell laughed. “You really think he’d just walk away from this place and leave it to be destroyed? Can’t you see how much money and work have gone into it?”
“Dell, this place represents only a fraction of the man’s wealth. He’s got an office building and a house in Cali that are worth more than this, and a network of businesses all over this country and God knows where else, and he didn’t get them by being nice to people. He’ll fly out of here and never look back.”
“Fuck you,” Dell said. He turned and strode back toward the French doors.
Cat moved to go after him, but he was already opening the door. By the time Cat reached the door, Dell was standing in the middle of
the large hall, alone. Someone had opened a pair of large doors, and the crowd had moved into another room. Dell followed them, and Cat followed Dell. He had to try and talk to him again before he got to prince.
But Dell had stopped again, distracted by something. Cat joined him at the edge of the group and followed his gaze. At the center of the room were two large, round tables. One of them was piled high with an enormous stack of money, bundles of one-hundred-dollar bills. The other was piled with an equally high stack of clear plastic bags, each filled with a white powder. Cat glanced at Dell. Dell seemed stunned.
There was a tug at Cat’s sleeve, and Meg said, “What’s happening? Are we all right?”
“I don’t know,” Cat replied, keeping his eyes on Dell. “We’re—”
“Gentlemen!” The voice came from the other end of the room. “Gentlemen, may I have your attention!”
Cat followed the voice and came to Vargas.
“Gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to introduce you to the man who has brought you here, who has made all of this”—he spread his hands to indicate the money and the cocaine—“possible. Gentlemen—and ladies—the Anaconda!”
There was a round of enthusiastic applause, and Prince stepped between the tables. “Good evening, gentlemen,” he said, smiling. He waved a hand at the table of money. “Here we have the fruits of your efforts,” he said. “Fifty million dollars.” Then he waved another hand at the table of cocaine. “And here we have the fruits of mine. Fifty million dollars’ worth of the finest cocaine. We have come together here to combine our efforts, to our mutual profit.”
It was the first time Cat had heard Prince speak, and he was impressed. His voice was rich and pleasant, his manner confident. He might have been the chairman of some Fortune 500 company addressing his sales force. In fact, Cat thought, he probably is.
Prince continued. “This merchandise is only a tiny fraction of what I will produce here, and this money is an even smaller fraction of what you and I, together, will generate. A few hundred yards from this spot, back in the jungle, is the largest and most modern cocaine factory ever built, nearing completion. Next week we will abandon the crude and cumbersome methods which produced the product you see before you, and we will move into a new era of production. Within a month, after we have gotten the bugs out of the system, we will have increased our output by a factor of eight, and that is why you are here.
“You gentlemen, most of you chosen carefully for your success in legitimate business, will form the basis of a new distribution and sales system that will, in very short order, cover the world. We will, of course, supply you with the finest, purest product available, but we will do much more than that. During the course of your week’s stay here, my people and I will be instructing you in our proven methods—management; the hiring of salespeople; the security of your network; the buying of key law-enforcement officials; your own insulation from unlawful activity, and—when necessary—the protection and defense of your operations.
“We have a busy week planned for you, but half of each day and all of each evening will be set aside for leisure activities. We can offer you everything a good resort hotel can—and, perhaps, a bit more. There is a large library of books and videocassettes available; there are swimming and tennis; there is a small casino, and there is quite a good discotheque. There will also be female companionship, although I must apologize for the short supply. Our facilities here are in full use, and we could not import extra ladies for this occasion.” He smiled. “But our ladies are very willing, and you may be sure that none of you will have to go the whole week without company.”
Cat’s insides twitched. The young women he had seen were here to entertain the visiting firemen, and Jinx was among them.
“Finally,” Prince said, “before we go in to dinner, let me mention one or two rules we have here. You may have the run of the place, explore all you like, except for the factory and the jungle. You will see the factory on guided tours, but we do not wish the work disturbed by unscheduled visits. Do not go into the jungle, for you are unlikely to return. It is denser than you can imagine, and it is all too easy to lose your bearings and head away from our camp when you believe you are heading toward it. And there are, of course, beasts which enjoy human flesh. I must ask you, also, to be in your quarters by midnight and not to venture out until daylight. We double the guard here at night, and my people are instructed to shoot first and ask questions later.
“Finally, and most important, I must tell you that I do not tolerate the use of drugs here. I do not, in fact, tolerate the use of drugs by anyone associated with me, and you gentlemen were chosen, in part, because you are not users. Still, someone may have slipped through my net of inquiries, and I warn you now—and I am perfectly serious—I will unceremoniously shoot the first person who is caught using drugs.
“But now, ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served. You will find a place card at each seat.” Prince waved an arm and yet another set of huge doors opened to reveal an enormous dining room with a single, long table.
Cat hung back with Meg and watched Dell shuffle into the dining room with the others. “That’s my son, Dell,” he told her. “We haven’t gotten along for several years. He’s here as a buyer, and I can’t promise you he won’t turn us in, but we’ve got to take the chance.”
“Oh, swell,” Meg said, quietly.
“Something else,” he whispered. “Jinx doesn’t know either of us is here, and I don’t want her to see us without warning, if I can help it. I don’t know if we’ll be sitting together, but try to get near her and tell her both Dell and I are here, so she’ll have some warning. If you can, find out where her room is and how we might meet.”
“Right,” Meg said.
They entered the dining room to discover that everyone had gathered along one wall, which was of glass, with a door at one end. Cat and Meg followed the crowd. Behind the plate glass was a patch of jungle, brought indoors. There was a lot of greenery, and a small stream ran through the scene. Then Cat saw what everyone was looking at. Resting on a limb of a tree, parts of its body dangling, was the largest snake he had ever seen. “Christ,” he said, involuntarily.
“It’s an anaconda,” Meg said. “I’ve seen one before, a much smaller one.”
The huge reptile seemed oblivious of its audience, and the crowd gradually drifted to the table, looking for place cards.
Meg found hers, then Cat found his, across the table and half a dozen places down, near the center of the table. Dell, he saw was on Meg’s side, near the end. Dell’s expression was vacant, but he seemed calm. Then he saw Jinx take her seat, two down from Meg. Good, he thought, Meg might be able to speak to her. Then Denny took the seat between them.
Cat was in clear view of Jinx, and that worried him. Still, his appearance had changed. When Jinx had last seen him, his hair had been longer, his beard full, and he had weighed an extra fifty pounds. But Jinx would remember when he was slimmer and clean-shaven, back when she was in her early teens. Then she looked directly at him.
He looked away, then stole another glance at her. She had not reacted. Denny said something to her, but she ignored him, and he looked annoyed. Pointedly, she turned away and took up a conversation with the man on her other side.
Someone sat down next to Cat. Absorbed with watching Jinx, he ignored the man, until he spoke.
“Lovely, isn’t she?” the man asked.
Cat turned and found Prince sitting next to him. “Yes, she is,” he said. Then, after a moment: “How do you persuade such a beautiful girl to come to the middle of a jungle?” Cat wanted to pick up his fork and plunge it into the man’s face.
Prince smiled, revealing white, evenly spaced teeth. “Oh, there are all sorts of attractions. You’re Southeast, aren’t you?”
It took Cat a moment to figure out what he meant. “Oh, yes. I’m Bob Ellis.” They shook hands.
“Well, Bob, we’re going to make you rich.”
“I’m already rich,”
Cat replied.
Prince laughed aloud. “Of course you are. After all, you’ve paid a million dollars for a week’s stay at a jungle resort, haven’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Tell me, Bob, what is it you want that you don’t already have?”
Cat smiled a little smile. “I want to be as rich as you are,” he said.
Prince laughed again. “I like that,” he said. “I like ambition. You’ll do well, Bob, you’ll do well.”
Cat nodded toward the glass case across the room. “That’s an anaconda, is it?”
“Indeed it is. The largest one ever captured. Some Indians who were working to clear the land here caught it. It seemed a pity to kill it, so we built it some accommodation.”
“What do you feed it?”
“Small animals; the odd man.”
Cat couldn’t tell if Prince was serious.
Soup came, and they began to eat.
“Tell me,” Cat said, “how did I happen to be seated next to the Anaconda?”
“Luck of the draw, I guess,” Prince replied. “I didn’t ask for anybody in particular.”
“I’m hurt,” Cat said. “I thought you’d chosen me.”
“Well, you see, I don’t know anybody here, except my staff, of course, so I wouldn’t have had a preference. I understand, though, that you brought someone with you.”
“Yes, my business partner.”
“Well chosen,” Prince said, gazing at Meg. “If she’s as bright as she is attractive.”
“She is.” Cat had a sudden thought. “Do you play tennis?”
“I do,” Prince replied.
“Well, Meg and I make quite a mean mixed doubles team,” Cat replied. He nodded toward Jinx. “Perhaps you and your young lady will give us a match. Does she play?”
Prince nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, indeed, quite well. Tomorrow morning at eight? I like to rise early; the heat gets up later.”
“Eight is fine. I have a feeling I’d better stay sober tonight”
Prince laughed again. The main course arrived, and he turned to talk with the man on his other side.
