by Marie Reyes
“We travelers need to stick together, y’know.”
“Alex, there are things you don’t know. Things that if you knew, you would not want us staying with you.”
“Then you tell me tonight, I can at least give you a good night's sleep.” He walked up to the front desk. “Anita. Hola. I check out today after all. If Katie ask after me, do you think you could give her my number?”
“Sure Alex. This place won’t be the same without you. Hope the diving goes well.” She gave him a brief hug over the counter before serving a new guest that was waiting.
***
Michael leaned against the window of the taxi, pretending to be asleep as Aleksander sat in front, chatting with the driver like they were two old friends catching up. He was an easy guy to like and could talk to anyone. It was a talent Michael wished he could possess, but he struggled to relate to people he had little in common with. Usually he didn’t trust overly happy people. He felt they were lying to themselves, phony, projecting a fake version of themselves to get people to like them, yet he found Aleksander’s childlike optimism inexplicably endearing. Josie also kept her head down in the back of the cab. Nothing to see here, just two weary travelers, exhausted from all the overnight buses, activities and nights of endless drinking.
The taxi pulled in front of a white rectangular building with a mural of waves painted on the side in bold-blue. The entire process of checking in was discreet, involving no human interaction whatsoever. Aleksander put a code into the keypad of a lockbox to retrieve the front door and garage key, and a card with the Wi-Fi code sat in there with a handwritten note.
“Welcome to casa Janssen.” Alex announced as he struggled to get the knack of the stiff lock.
The guest suite was minimalist and clean. The main living space had a large, almost brand new sofa bed and an adjoining kitchen. The bedroom had just enough room for the king-size bed, but little else, and there was a small bathroom between them.
“So I guess you guys better fill me in.” Alex sat at the end of the sofa and cracked open a beer he got from his bag. Josie excused herself and went to the bathroom.
“I honestly don’t know where to begin. I met Josie in Tulum, at the hotel bar. We hit it off. It turned out she came to Mexico to find her sister. She got kidnapped a year ago, around here actually.”
“Oh my god. Are you for serious?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Anyway, I agreed to help her. She wanted to find out what happened. Go rogue, and somehow find out something the police couldn’t, or just didn’t want to find. I honestly didn’t think anything would come of it. We asked around. Got ourselves noticed. Alex, someone tried to kill us.”
“That’s insane. So what did you do?”
“That’s just it. There’s nothing we can do. Something bigger than us is going on here. That woman that got killed, she was not murdered by her husband like the girl at the hostel said. He was with us. He saved us. Now he’s been arrested, and they’re after us now. They’re looking for us, the cops are, and this other guy, Samuel Valentino Hernandez. He wants us gone. He has something to do with her sister going missing, I don’t know if he is cartel, or what.” Michael snatched in a breath.
“Slow down. This is a lot to take in. Jesus.” He got up from the sofa and started pacing whilst taking sips of his beer.
“You’ve got to help us. We need to get to the embassy, tell them our side of the story before any police involvement. All we need is the money to get there and we can be out of your hair.”
“I can drive you. It’s probably safer that way.”
“That is more than we would have ever asked for. Are you sure?” He tried to keep eye contact with Alex as he paced the room. He needed to know he was serious.
“Of course.” Alex sat back on the sofa.
“We don’t want you to get in trouble for our sake though. Josie already blames herself for Miguel’s wife.”
“Is that the one that died today?”
“Yeah.” Michael sighed and ran his hand through his hair, it was getting in desperate need of a good trim. “There is one other thing you could do for me. I can pay you… although… if the police are looking for us, will they be keeping an eye on our bank accounts, I wonder?”
“Don’t you worry. You pay me back when you can for anything. What is it you need, anyway?”
“Well, it’s kind of two things, really. I left something important in a locker in a hotel in Arenales. It’s probably not there still, but it’s important, and I can’t get anywhere near the place. They know me there.” Michael’s mouth seemed to work independently from his brain. He couldn’t believe what he was asking.
“So you want me to pick up something for you?”
“If that’s okay. Just quick, in and out. Book a night, check the locker. I hid it right at the back, so I’m hoping they didn’t find it yet. I’ll give you whatever money is left in my bank account.”
“What is it?”
“I’d rather not say, but I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“It’s kind of exciting. Aleksander undercover. What’s travel if not to have some crazy story to tell after, huh?”
Michael’s conscience twinged like a faulty muscle. He assured himself that Aleksander was in no danger. They had no idea who he was, to them he was just some other traveler. The thing that really bothered him was what he was asking him to pick up. If he knew what he had been tasked with, would he even have agreed? Aleksander couldn’t get into trouble; pentobarbital was legal here. Michael knew Aleksander’s curiosity would get the better of him, and he would have a look at what was inside the brown bag. Michael decided he would worry about it later and pushed the thoughts away.
“So what’s the other thing?” Alex asked.
“Do you know if there is a drug-store near here?”
“What for?”
“I’ll write you a list.” Michael grabbed a pad of paper that had been kindly left by the owner by the phone and started scribbling down a grocery list.
Chapter Twenty Four
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.“ Josie held the scissors against her long, sleek hair.
“It’s just hair. It’ll grow back. Do you want me to do it for you?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. Then I’ll do yours. You know you look like you’re wearing a mop on your head.” It was the first hint of a smile, or an expression other than sadness or fear that he had seen on her face for a while.
The contents of a pack of hair box-dye was laid out on the kitchen counter: a sachet, two bottles, a pair of gloves, and an instruction manual. “What do I do with this?”
“Are you kidding, Michael? It’s easy. Just read the directions. What is it with men not wanting to read instructions? It’s like a sickness.”
“But they’re in Spanish.”
“Look at the back. I’m sure it will have English on there.”
Michael held the crinkled fold-out leaflet in front of his face, squinting at the small writing like he was a lost tourist reading a map.
Josie sighed. “Just mix the three bottles together, give it a shake, and slap it on. It’s not rocket science. Give it here.” She put the scissors down, took the biggest bottle and unscrewed it, adding the color sachet and the small bottle of oil to the developer before screwing the lid back on and giving it a vigorous shake. As she twisted the protective seal off of the main bottle, liquid erupted out the top like a volcano. “Here you go, try to get it even okay? Don’t want you standing out more than you do already.”
He squeezed a load of the creamy liquid on top of his head and rubbed it in with his bare hands.
“Michael, seriously? It’s black hair dye, you’re going to stain your hands. Careful not to get any on the floor either, because that will stain too.”
He burst into uncontrollable hysterical laughter that shook his entire body and left him gasping for breath. One minute they were minutes from certain death, and the next they were worrying about gettin
g a stain on the floor. Such things seemed so utterly insignificant now. He could see the ends of Josie’s lips reluctantly turn up, as if she was desperately trying to keep her feelings bottled up, until the pressure was so much that it spewed out like that bottle of chemicals he was putting on his head. The great-heaving laughs wrenched their whole bodies until tears streamed down their faces, and they weren’t sure if they were laughing or crying.
“What is going on in here?” Aleksander came from outside, bringing the smell of cigarettes in with him, and looked at them as if they had lost their minds. “Careful with that. I want to make sure I don’t get charged for damage.” His words only served to make them laugh harder, and his look of bemusement turned to laughter.
“Don’t you think Michael will look really hot with black hair?” Josie said in-between gasps.
“Like a sexy Lego man.” Aleksander laughed as he grabbed his fourth beer.
“Maybe we need a fake mustache to complete the disguise?” Josie added, red in the face.
“No, a sombrero. Maybe a poncho.” Alex’s released a series of short, high-pitched laughs.
“A newspaper with two eyeholes cut in it.” Josie wiped tears from her eyes and let out a snort.
“Too far. Too much.” Alex had started to calm down now and was capable of taking a sip of beer without the threat of having to spit it out with laughter.
“Alright, alright, relax. I’m not unleashing my new look just for fun. Besides, Josie is bleaching her hair next, so that’s going to be something. Then all we need is a pair of shades and then poof, it’s like we never existed.”
“Shit.” Josie snapped back to the reality of the situation. “I haven’t even let my parents know I’m okay. There is no way I’m calling them. I’m just going to send a message.”
“You should use a VPN so they can’t track our IP address.” Aleksander suggested, as if he only just realized the implication of harboring two potential fugitives. “So Michael. Tomorrow I go to the hotel?”
“Yeah. I don’t think you should be driving tonight.” Michael looked over at the row of bottles on the window-sill.
Chapter Twenty Five
Michael sat in the back seat with Josie, wondering how Aleksander managed to talk them into joining him, although, as he thought about it, he realized they were probably safer in Arelanes than they were in Chetumal. Hopefully, their change of appearance would be enough for them to stay in the back of the car unnoticed while Aleksander did his thing.
Michael glanced over at Josie. The harsh bleach had taken away some of the straightness, and her hair now fell in beachy waves. She looked like she’d fit in perfectly with Aleksander’s diving buddies. The thought crossed his mind that they may not return from Arelanes today, or that they’d finish the day locked in some jail cell. As they reached the outskirts of town, Michael’s hands grew clammy as he tried to keep his breathing and heart rate in check. He closed his eyes as he took in deep, controlled breaths. In. And out. In. And out. All he had to do was sit in the back of the car while Alex went to the hotel, but he felt sick, and his stomach groaned. The bumpy road didn’t help. Looking for ways to distract himself, he decided to brief Alex. “Okay. So, why are you here?”
Aleksander turned the steering wheel, getting closer to the hotel. “I’m just stopping by. I came from Cancún, wanted somewhere to overnight before I go to Oaxaca.”
“Good. Good. And why wouldn’t you stay somewhere with more going on, like Chiapas.”
“I’ve already been there. I want to get off the beaten track.” Alex popped a piece of gum in his mouth and looked in the mirror, making sure his fringe was in check.
“Good.” Michael’s heart rate steadied. “And you remember what our bags look like? And what locker my package is in?”
“Yes, Michael.” He rolled his eyes. “We’ve been through this a million times.”
“I was thinking. What if we call you and leave it connected the whole time? You can put it in your front pocket. It’ll make me feel better than us just sitting here wondering what’s going on.”
“As long as it’s Josie’s phone bill, not mine.” Aleksander grinned like a kid playing cops and robbers, a game of pretend.
“And Alex. If you get the hint of anything being wrong. A gut feeling, even. Get out of there. You should stop here, don’t want to be too close to the hotel.”
Aleksander slowed down and parked up at the side of the road. “Relax. It’s all good. Here you go.” He passed Michael the keys to the car… just in case.
Michael held the keys in his hand, looking at them—the only belonging he now had. The fact that Alex would just hand them over to him, a basic stranger. He just couldn’t make sense of it. Why did the people in this car trust him implicitly? What had he done to earn it? He looked at them both and smiled. The strange feeling that he would do anything for these people he had only known a few days was so intense it made him feel something he hadn’t felt before, a sense of purpose, maybe. He tried to make sense of it.
“If we need to get away for any reason, we should agree a meeting place.” Josie suggested, her hands clutched in front of her as if she was subconsciously praying.
“Don’t worry.” Aleksander dismissively waved his hand at them before getting out of the car. “Oh.” He jumped a little as his phone buzzed in his chest pocket and he pulled it out, putting the phone to his ear. “Hello Josie.” He waved to her through the window.
“Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear. Over and out.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket and saluted them, as he strode confidently in the direction of the hotel.
“Crazy son of a bitch.” Michael said as he watched him disappear down the road.
“I can’t believe he’s doing this for us.” Josie said as she put her phone on loud speaker so they could both hear.
It was too far to see the hotel, but Michael could see the churro man stood at his cart. His stomach protested at not having been fed for hours, but there was no way he could handle eating anything.
***
After about five minutes, they started to hear voices at the other end of the phone. They could only make out every other word. The speaker must have been muffled in his shirt pocket. Josie held the phone closer. A few rustling noises later, the voices became clearer.
“Do you have a locker for my stuff before I check in?” Josie stared at the phone as she listened as Aleksander’s voice, surprisingly loud at the other end. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make out any other voices. The next fifteen minutes crawled by painfully slowly. They couldn’t hear anything at the other end of the phone except for clanging and rustling. Huddled around the phone in deep concentration, a knock at the window made Michael’s stomach lurch. The churro guy stood beaming through the glass at them.
Michael shrunk in his seat, wondering if the man had recognized him from the other day, but how could he? He and Josie looked completely different with their new haircuts and colors. Maybe this guy was just this friendly with everyone.
Josie opened the car door, and Michael’s heart skipped a beat. The car was their safe space. As long as they stayed in the car, everything would be fine. Their protective cage of glass and metal. The ability to drive away in seconds. Why the hell was she drawing attention to herself? He watched the transaction. Josie shoved five pesos in his hand and grabbed a bag of warm churros. “Gracias.” She thanked him and got back in the car.
“Calm down, Michael. We don’t want to stand out. What could be more inconspicuous than two tourists tucking into some—”
Michael stopped her as he saw a figure rushing towards them. “Is that Alex already?” He squinted, trying to make them out as they got closer, tensed on the edge of his seat, waiting for a better view. He could make out the blue T-shirt Alex had been wearing. “It’s him.” Josie leaned to open the front door for him so he could slide in quickly. Aleksander’s face was beet-red when he got to the car.
“Quick.” He slid into the driver�
��s seat and slammed the door shut behind him. “Keys!” he shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Josie asked.
“Keys,” he shouted again, louder this time. Alex was always so laid back, there was something deeply concerning about hearing him angry and panicked.
Michael tossed him the keys, but they fell into the foot-well. Aleksander felt around on the floor, grabbing the key and putting it in the ignition. Once the engine started, he jerked forward, narrowly avoiding hitting the car in front before joining the road.
“Is everything okay?” Josie hunched forward, gripping the seat in front, bracing herself.
“See that Chevrolet?” He took his right hand off the steering wheel to point at a car at the end of the street.
“That’s Julio’s car.” Michael and Josie turned to face each other with a mutual look of concern.
“Julio?” Aleksander glanced back at them.
“The hotel owner.” Was the only information Michael wanted to give.
Alex slowed down to keep some space between them and the Chevrolet. “I thought Frederico run the hotel.”
“No, that’s his nephew.”
“Well, I heard the nephew on the phone. Sounds like something big is going down. He mentioned a boat.”
“Was there anything in the locker?” Despite everything going on, that bottle of pentobarbital still meant more than anything.
Alex passed Michael a phone without taking his eyes off the other car. “This yours?”
“Holy crap.” The phone was dead, but he recognized the deep scratch that took up most of the screen. He ran his finger over it.
“I couldn’t see your bags. Place was so empty. Looked like it might be closing.”
“Was there anything else?” Michael asked, trying to seem nonchalant, hiding his desperation.
“Your package? No. Sorry man.”
“It’s fine.” He could probably buy more pentobarbital somewhere else. Tijuana didn’t have the monopoly on illicit substances, well it did, but there was still plenty to go around. “I don’t think this is such a good idea. What if they notice us following them?”
