by F J messina
Sonia continued to lean forward, her fatigue gone. “Wouldn’t that be great? If one of them knew where she was.”
“I’m on it, Tonto. Me and my big white horse . . . . ”
“Silver.”
“Huh?”
“Silver.” her voice rose. “The horse’s name was Silver. Didn’t you see that horrible Johnny Depp movie?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah.” Jet waved her hand in front of her face. “Anyway. I’m on it. I’ll get to them as soon as I can.”
There was a pause in the conversation while each of the girls pondered the new possibilities. Eventually, Jet said, “So, when the heck is Brad getting back?”
Sonia shifted in her chair. “Don’t get me started.”
“About what?”
Sonia ran her fingers through her hair. “About when he’s coming home.”
Jet’s face softened. “Problems?”
“No. Not really.” She looked past Jet to the blue sky outside Jet’s window over East Main. “It’s just that he got a phone call from a certain DEA agent who needed his help with something.”
The surprise in Jet’s voice was completely obvious. “Robbie Alvarez? He got a call from Robbie Alvarez?” Jet’s gaze drifted away for just the briefest moment.
“The one and only. And this time it was Robbie who needed Brad’s help, so off he goes running to help his buddy.”
Jet looked at Sonia over the glasses that weren’t on her nose. “You okay with that?”
Sonia twisted her lips. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be.”
Jet simply shrugged.
“Look, Jet.” Sonia’s voice had an edge to it. “He’s a big boy, and he’s helping a friend. You know how it works in this business. A guy calls asking for help, you go. You go right away and you go fast.”
Jet’s face softened. “Are you sure you’re okay with this. I mean, couldn’t he have come home for a day or two first?”
“I guess you’re─”
Jet’s phone rang. She turned and put her hand up to silence Sonia. “Bluegrass Confidential Investigations. This is Jet speaking. How can I help you?”
The conversation lasted only a few moments. Jet hung up then looked down at the phone in her hand. “Well. That’s unusual.”
“What? Who was that?”
“That, my dear colleague,” Jet looked at Sonia, “was one hot mamacita.”
Sonia was silent for a moment, while names and faces ran through her brain. “Oh. You mean Gabriela?”
“In the flesh.” Jet looked down at her phone again as if there was more information to be gleaned from the already-ended conversation.
“What did she want?”
Jet stood and turned to the window, looking down at the street below as she spoke. “What she wants is for us to come down to Papi’s tonight. It seems she’s working the dinner shift and there’s something she wants to tell us.”
“And she couldn’t do it over the phone?” Sonia’s voice reflected her confusion.
“Apparently not.” Jet sat back down at her desk. “Maybe it’s something she doesn’t want anyone else to know.”
Sonia drew herself back almost imperceptibly. “Or maybe she’s afraid of something.”
Jet paused before she spoke. “Could be.” Then she lightened up. “Anyway, here’s the good news. Brad’s not back in town so I guess you and I are on our way to Papi’s for dinner.”
Sonia stood up. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a dinner date. Let’s go early though, we’ve got a big day at the races in front of us tomorrow. And trust me, I need some sleep.”
“Not too early.” Jet moved some papers around on her desk. “She said not to come before nine when the dinner crowd starts to slow down. But don’t you worry now, dear; we’ll catch a light dinner and listen to what she has to say. I’ll have you home and in bed by ten. Okay?” The sound of her voice was as demeaning as her words.
Sonia walked out of the office shaking her head. “Oh brother. How do I put up with you?”
Jet stood up again as well and spoke to Sonia’s back. “I’ll pick you up around eight-thirty. I’m driving. You know how you get when you start slamming down those margaritas.”
Sonia kept walking right through the waiting area and toward the exit. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. See you at eight-thirty.”
24
Jet picked Sonia up around eight-forty that evening. They were both dressed casually, but with a little color and flair, just right for dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
When they walked in, the hostess greeted them and asked, “Two?”
Jet was quick to respond. “Si. Dos por favor.”
Sonia leaned around Jet to get the attention of the hostess. “Any chance we could be seated with Gabriela?”
The hostess looked around. “Si. Yes. She has a table open. Por aquí.”
It was clear to Sonia that Jet had not the slightest idea what the woman had said, but since the hostess took off quickly across the room, it was obvious they were meant to follow her.
Sonia and Jet were seated and ordered drinks. While they waited, Sonia looked around for Paco Castillo. She didn’t see him anywhere. She closed her eyes. Thank God he’s not working tonight. I just don’t know what I would say to him.
Gabriela finally showed up to take their order. “Buenas noches, ladies. What can I get you this evening?”
Sonia was wondering if Gabriela would lean right in and share the information she had. She didn’t. She treated them like any other customers. “Tonight, our special is our shrimp fajitas with a citrus-based sauce. It comes with soft flour tortillas.”
Jet fell right in line. “That sounds great. Why don’t you bring that for each of us? Okay with you, Sonia?”
Sonia was distracted, still looking around the room, but she responded, “Oh, yeah. That’ll be fine. Thank you. Uh, gracias.”
Gabriella walked quickly away, leaving Sonia wondering how the night was going to play out. As it turned out, Sonia and Jet had a fine meal and two margaritas each. They were enjoying the opportunity to be with each other socially. As they were finishing the last sips of their second margaritas, Gabriela showed up with the check. “Anything else I can get you, ladies? Something else to drink?”
Jet shook her head gently, “No mas, gracias. Just the check, please.”
Gabriela reached into her apron and pulled out the check. When she laid it on the table and walked away, however, Sonia noticed that there was a second piece of paper lying under the check itself. As Jet picked up the check, Sonia nonchalantly slipped the paper into her own hand and tucked it away. She then picked up her purse and asked, “How much do I owe?”
Sonia felt like the note Gabriela had left them was burning in her hand, while Jet did some quick calculating about the tip and splitting the cost of the meal. They stood and headed for the front door, stopping to pay the bill.
Walking down the steps, Sonia pulled Jet aside and asked, “Did you see this?”
“Sure, I saw it. What’s it say?”
Sonia read the note out loud. “Short break in ten minutes. Meet me next door, outside Charlie Brown’s.”
The partners looked at each other. Neither said a word. They continued down the steps and out onto the street. Charlie Brown’s was right next door and they stepped into its wooden lean-to type entrance and waited.
Six or seven minutes later, Gabriela joined them. As striking as she was in the soft light of Papi’s, she was even more so in the semi-darkness of the evening. Tall and shapely in her tight, black shirt and pants, her long black hair lying in front of her shoulder in a sexy ponytail, her lips were colored the same bright red as the belt and high-heeled shoes she wore. She huddled close to the girls in the tiny space. She didn’t wait for them to ask anything.
“Santiago is missing. I have looked and looked for him all over the barrio. No one seems to know where he is. Or at least no one is willing to say. I don’t know how I’m going to find him, but I wanted you to know.”
&nbs
p; Jet didn’t mince words. “Know what, Gabriela?”
Gabriela gave Jet a “Don’t you get this,” look. “Know that the boy my cousin was dating is missing. Gone at the very same time she is gone. Gone and no one will say where.”
Sonia took a step closer to her and spoke furtively. “Maybe we can help you find him.”
The look on Gabriela’s face remained less than inviting. “I will find him. She is my cousin. He is one of us. I will find him. And if I find out he has hurt her . . . .”
Sonia and Jet were silent, at a loss for words. This was not the way they usually operated, nor was this a situation with which they were familiar.
Gabriela looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. I wanted you to know. But remember, you will not find him. I will find him. And I will do what I have to do.” She turned and was gone in an instant.
Sonia turned to Jet but said nothing.
Jet reached out and put her hand on Sonia’s forearm. “Don’t you worry. We’ve got this. This will all work out. We’ve got this. C’mon. Let’s go home.”
“I sure hope she doesn’t do anything stupid.” Sonia had come to know that she could handle difficult and dangerous situations, situations that could actually mean the difference between life and death. But this was different. Gabriela seemed like she could be a loose cannon, like she might do something that could make the situation worse─much worse.
Jet turned and put her arm around Sonia. “That’s not going to happen. Just a lot of worry and anger going around. C’mon. Big day tomorrow. Let’s get home and get some sleep. This will work itself out. I promise.”
The girls walked back to Jet’s car in silence. Sonia’s mind was reeling. What is she going to do if she finds him? What if he is the one who’s done something to Mariana? What if Gabriela hurts him? What if she kills him? What if that means we never find Mariana?
25
Sonia was glad that Saturday was going to be a relaxed, fun day. She had awoken to a beautiful spring morning, with a forecast of temperatures in the high seventies along with plenty of sunshine. It would be a great day to be at Keeneland to watch the horses run.
Around twelve o’clock, Sonia heard a car horn she didn’t recognize. Nonetheless, she was pretty sure it was Burnett coming to pick her up. She walked down the stairs that serviced her apartment and out to the street. She wasn’t at all surprised to see that Burnett had already picked up Jet. What did surprise her was the car that Burnett was driving. As best as she could tell, it was a four-door Mercedes sedan, probably from the 1970s. Dark red, with a light tan leather interior, the exterior shone in the sunlight. As Sonia approached the car, Burnett popped out, ran around the back of the car to meet her, then opened the passenger-side rear door for her.
As Sonia stepped toward the car door, she couldn’t help but notice Burnett’s attire. It was entirely different from his regular uniform, yet somehow the same. Usually, he wore a dark-colored, slightly oversized suit, with a white oxford shirt and a dark bowtie. Today, he wore a crisp off-white linen suit, a light blue oxford shirt, and a bowtie that had a somewhat festive red and blue pattern. The only real change in his approach to dressing was his hat. Sonia couldn’t believe it. It was an honest-to-goodness straw boater hat, a skimmer, right out of the 1920s. Its red and blue ribbon perfectly matched Burnett’s bowtie.
Sonia was also surprised when she slipped into the car and found Jet dressed in a manner Sonia would never have expected. Instead of wearing some nice, but casual attire, Jet was dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She wore a sleeveless, navy polka dot pencil dress with a skinny, red belt. Four-inch red-and-straw wedges displayed her freshly pedicured toenails, and she carried a tiny clutch with a chain strap for over-the-shoulder wear. What really finished off the look was something Sonia had never seen on Jet, bright red lipstick. The only piece missing was the foot-long cigarette holder.
Sonia smiled. Well, you really outdid me today, partner. Here I am in a simple yellow top, with white slacks and my best flat sandals, and you’re trying to entice Burnett into your web of seduction by appealing to his mistaken belief that we’re still living in the 1960s. The way Burnett looked at Jet, as he slid behind the wheel, made it obvious to Sonia that Jet’s plan was working─perfectly. When Sonia’s eyes met Jet’s in the side-view mirror, she could tell that Jet was having the time of her life. Sonia hoped that it wasn’t going to be at Burnett’s expense.
It was a short trip to the track and the three of them were soon getting out of Burnett’s car. They were in the parking lot directly across the street from the Blue Grass Airport. Sonia gazed across the street. “I’ve never seen so many private jets parked out there at the airport before, big ones. Is something special going on?”
Burnett gave her a funny look. “Keeneland, my dear. Keeneland is going on. Those jets belong to the people who own some of the horses that are running today. You can be assured that at least one or two of them are sheiks or something from the Middle East.”
Sonia turned and followed Burnett and Jet as they walked toward the entrance. “Wow, who knew?” Her words drifted unheard into the breeze.
As they continued to walk, Sonia noticed something else. The long walk to the entrance pavilion included some sections of loose stone, creating a lovely natural look. As Sonia watched Jet struggle to keep her balance on her four-inch wedges, she was glad to be walking in her more reasonable flat sandals. On the other hand, Jet was making the most of the difficult situation by leaning heavily, and closely, on Burnett for support. At one point, she even turned around and gave Sonia a sly wink and a smile.
Sonia returned the smile, though hers was much less enthusiastic. Oh, brother. You’re milking this for all it’s worth, aren’t you dear partner?
As they approached the building, Sonia assumed they would head for the General Admission entrance. Instead, Burnett lead them to the reserved seating windows.
“You wouldn’t want to be standing out in the sun all day,” he said to them over his shoulder, his wide-brimmed skimmer shading the big smile on his face.
After walking through the entrance area, Sonia, who had never been to Keeneland before, was surprised again. She immediately found herself near a small grassy area, the paddock. It was relatively close to post time for the first race, and several horses were being walked around and around on paths specifically designated with numbers, each one circling a shade tree.
Sonia touched Jet’s arm gently. “What a beautiful place. It’s just gorgeous. The gray stone walls, the dark-green trim, so classy, so traditional. It feels like we’re on an English manor.”
Jet snickered. “Except for the beer and hot dogs on the other side of that walk-through path.”
Sonia’s eyes widened. “And those are the racehorses, right here by us?”
Jet smiled. “Yes, honey. Those are the horses that will be in the first race. The stable-hands lead them around the paddock so you can get a close look at them before you bet on the race. The number on each path corresponds to the number the horse will be wearing during the race. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
Sonia was truly in awe. “They’re magnificent. I’ve seen them up close on the farm several times now but watching them walk around. It’s just . . . . it’s just exciting.”
Burnett turned to Sonia and winked. “And you’re standing here at a race track that’s soaked in tradition. In fact, most of the racing scenes for the movie, Seabiscuit, were shot here because the track looks almost the same now as when he was running in the 1930s.”
Burnett turned to Jet and smiled. “Now, can I get you ladies some refreshment?”
Jet and Sonia spoke almost simultaneously. Jet said, “Wouldn’t that be nice.” Whereas Sonia was saying, “Well, we don’t want to miss the race, do we?”
Burnett chuckled and smiled at Sonia. “Don’t worry about that. There will be plenty of time before the first race, and plenty of other races today, as well. In fact, the B
luegrass Stakes will be the tenth race. The one before it, the Ashland Stakes, is for fillies. Those are the big races on the card today.”
Sonia was enjoying herself but felt a little bewildered by it all. “Tell me again, what’s special about those races, other than the fact that Frailing is running in one of them?”
Burnett took a second to make sure that Jet wasn’t about to answer, then he started. His voice had the same authority it had when he spoke about forensic accounting. “First, you have to know how the three races in the Triple Crown are put together. You see, for each of those races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, horses have to be nominated in order to participate. Now, the term, ‘nominated,’ may imply to you that someone just says that they think the horse is good enough to compete. That’s the furthest thing from the truth.
“In fact, there are twenty horses that wind up in the Derby. Those horses must first participate in what’s known as the ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby.’ It’s a series of around thirty-five or so races that take place at tracks across the country, in fact, around the world. The number actually changes from year to year. The top four horses that finish in each of those thirty-five or so races get points, and the twenty horses with the most points are eligible to run in the Derby.” He gave Sonia a wink, “Now there are exceptions. But for the most part, that’s how it’s done. The race we’ll see today, the Bluegrass Stakes, is one of the last races in that process. For Frailing, this is sort of a do-or-die race, in that he is right around the cut-off point for having enough points to make the Derby.
“Actually, the same is true for the fillies, the female horses. The biggest race of all for them is the Kentucky Oaks, run the day before the Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville. At least, that’s how Churchill Downs likes to bill it. Actually, it’s just another Grade 1 race for fillies. The ninth race today, the Ashland Stakes, is a qualifying race for the Kentucky Oaks. So, for the horses, and trainers, and owners, both of these races, The Bluegrass Stakes and The Ashland Stakes, are very much a big deal.”
