Jenks gave me a light kiss on the cheek, but I wanted more. I traded the neck lock for a lip lock until I heard Jan say, “Oh for heaven’s sake, get a room.”
I broke off the smooch, but still kept a steel grip on Jenks. “How did you get here? And what took you so long?”
Jenks rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Sorry I was so late to your latest disaster, Hetta, but I just spent over twenty-two hours in the air and, thanks to Chino, arrived just in time for your little fireworks display.”
“It wasn’t my fireworks display. Oh, never mind, I’m just glad you’re here. I’m sorry I dragged you into another mess.”
“Apology taken, for now. Hetta, listen to me. Did you shoot this guy?”
“What guy?”
Jan piped up. “Paco. He was laying right next to you, big old hole in his forehead. Jenks dragged him down the beach. We’re afraid the Mexican navy is going to show up any minute. We heard them talking on the radio. They are sending boats to investigate the explosion, so we gotta scram. But first we need to get rid of Paco, and the gun. Where is it?”
“I didn’t shoot him. I didn’t even know he was—Oh.”
“Oh, what?”
“Nacho. I thought he nailed me, but he must have seen Paco coming up behind me and shot him, instead. Maybe Paco, when he fell, pitched forward, collided with my shoulder on his way down. I felt the blow and thought I was shot. I guess I fainted, after all. Lord knows I was scared enough.”
“I didn’t think you had it in you to carve him up like that.”
“Carve? I thought he was shot.”
“And whittled. Someone sliced a big Z in Paco’s back, and I don’t think Zorro’s anywhere around here.”
I struggled to my feet and walked over to check out Paco’s body. Sure enough, he was on his stomach, his shirt gone, tattoos showing, and a bloody red Z was cut into his back.
Chino knelt next to the body. “I think it is a Zeta sign, a warning from a gang member to others. This Nacho, do you think he did this?”
“I don’t know why he would.”
“Gang members leave signs like this as a warning. Or a message.”
Aha! I smiled. “Yes, I think it means I can sleep at night.”
Jenks looked puzzled, but I didn’t feel like explaining right now.
“Let’s douse the lights on the boats and get the hell out of here. Leave Paco lay, the federales will deal with him. I think it’s safe to bring back the people who live here, then we need to boogie.”
Epilogue
My boat smelled like a zoo.
Auntie Lil agreed to turn both Iggy and Trouble over to Rancho Oberto. She returned to Texas to do volunteer work at the VA Hospital. No doubt to be near a good source of drugs and husbands. Her latest amour she’d gone to Mazatlan with, Fred, returned to rehab, and decided she was a bad influence.
Granny Yee stayed aboard with her goat until we reached Puerto Escondido, then returned to Lopez Mateos. Said she’d grown tired of her new love interest, who didn’t have the balls to stand up to a bunch of LA punks. She and Auntie Lil traded notes on finding love on the Internet.
Trouble got his wings clipped. It took four of us, and a few of Aunt Lil’s more potent prescriptions, but we did the deed. No, we didn’t give them to him. Although he can no longer fly around at will, he is a TV celeb with his own fan club, and an unlimited amount of jerky. Because he frequently appears at children’s functions and fundraisers, he is undergoing etiquette lessons from a world renowned bird trainer. The trainer is on Valium.
Marina the dock dog and Mr. Bill the cat also found a new home at Rancho Oberto.
Jan and Chino reconciled their differences and returned, with Grans Yee, to Lopez Mateos. Jan will remain on the dive team, but all talk of marriage is out.
Martinez, after reluctantly telling me Arizona no longer had any interest in my so-called crimes, presented me with a fat bill that included a ferry toll to retrieve his pickup from San Carlos, and travel expenses to get back to his new home in Baja. He didn’t invite me to visit.
There was nothing in any of the newspapers about the incident at Agua Fria. Bad for tourism, you know.
It was CNN International that broke the story following an anonymous tip. A four-state border bust netted hundreds of meth-smuggling illegals, along with millions of dollars worth of drugs. Many of the hapless illegals reported horrible abuse at the hands of the gangsters who told them when and where to cross the border. Some of the smugglers were taken to US hospital and treated for knife wounds, most notably Zs carved into their skin.
Another agency reported a shootout between the Mexican army and hired hit men from a drug cartel calling themselves Zetas. Over a hundred gang members were killed, but not before they branded Zs onto the backs of their hostages.
News agencies speculated the two incidents might be related. Duh.
Jenks and I, after fumigating Raymond Johnson, are taking some time to cruise around the Sea of Cortez until we both have to go back to work. To keep the peace, we agreed not to discuss my activities over the past month. He did mention that I seemed to go to great lengths to get a New Year’s Eve date, though.
And Nacho? Only The Shadow knows.
Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
~End~
About the Author
Award-winning author Jinx Schwartz has spent most of her life traveling the world for work and pleasure. She spends as much time as possible afloat in the Sea of Cortez and pulls adventure from her boating experiences there. She also writes destination articles for boating magazines, and is a member of Sisters in Crime. When not in Mexico, Jinx finds herself high and dry in Arizona.
You can check out all of her books at
www.jinxschwartz.com
and contact her at
[email protected]
And go to Amazon.com for the next Hetta Coffey Mystery Series, Book 4
Just Deserts
With her floating home drydocked for repairs in Mexico, Hetta Coffey needs a place to live, and a job to pay the boatyard. Landing a project at a mining operation not far from her boat, Hetta finds herself on the tumultuous Arizona/Mexico border, where all hell is breaking loose—even before she gets there.
Just Add Trouble Page 25
