“Did it last night. It smells like a new car.”
“Okay, what the heck is going on? Do you know something I don’t?”
“I don’t know how busy I’ll be once this case gets off the ground. I thought it was a good time to clean things up.”
“Uh-huh. And when does the Dutch detective come to Miami?”
“This afternoon.” I tried to sound casual, but Steph knew me too well.
“I’m starting to suspect that you and this detective have more in common than the case.”
“It’s not like that.”
Steph raised an eyebrow and said, “With guys, it’s always like that. Men have one-track minds. So tell me, is she pretty?”
“Beautiful.” I didn’t even bother to hide my smile. I checked the clock on my desk and realized I had to head out to the airport soon.
Steph said, “Can I help with anything?”
“You’ve already done too much. You’re the best.” I stood and gathered my things.
She said, “Have I done enough to learn why your street name is Anti?”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
She playfully slapped me on the arm. “Don’t be a shit. I could just ask a Miami cop.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Steph bowed her head. “You’re right. I’ll figure it out. Or I’ll get you to spill one day.”
“Good luck with that.” I let her hear me snicker as I left.
An hour later, I used my connections at Miami International to get right to the gate as passengers disembarked from the Amsterdam plane.
I didn’t want to go overboard, but I had gotten a haircut. I wore a simple sports coat. Marie spotted me as soon as she stepped off the Jetway. I liked the smile that spread across her face.
I reached in for a hug and she put out her hand and we were caught in the awkward no-man’s-land between a hug and a handshake. She put one arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.
After we retrieved her single bag, we walked to my car. Marie said, “The newest information I have came from my best informant, who told me that a ship left from somewhere in Northern Europe about a week ago and should be here in the next few days.”
“And you can’t narrow that down at all?”
“I might be able to once we’re closer to the day the ship arrives.”
“Just like they can trick you by leaving from any one of the ports in Europe, they could come into the port of Miami, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, or even Palm Beach.”
Marie said, “I understand. I just want to make the best case possible.”
“I’d like to get a little press on the arrests so that people can see how serious human trafficking really is. Media coverage would probably help the task force as well.”
Marie agreed. As we made our way to my car, she said, “What do we do now?”
“I’m going to get you something to eat. You set the standard in Amsterdam for hospitality.”
I loved her smile.
Chapter 54
IT WAS LATE in the afternoon by the time I got Marie settled in her downtown hotel room. I had planned to take her to the office and introduce her around, but to be honest, I liked my alternative plan better.
She was hungry, so I’d stopped my Explorer near a food truck that was always on Eighth Street just west of the interstate, before the street turns into Calle Ocho, famous for restaurants visited by presidents and the Cuban culture on display.
Marie looked at the truck with the neon letters on the side that said SANDWICHES. She said, “You’re only taking me to the nicest places, I see.”
The owner, Luis, waved to me as we stepped up to the truck’s window. I smiled and held up two fingers. He nodded.
“I don’t want you to fill up too much before dinner. Besides, these are the best Cuban sandwiches in the city. He’s usually sold out by this time of day.”
“What other kinds of sandwiches does he sell?”
“There are no other sandwiches recognized by Miami residents. Try one.”
Marie said, “Don’t we get a choice of what’s on it?”
“No. In Miami, a Cuban sandwich is ham, pork, pickles, mustard, and a little mayo. Otherwise it’s not a Cuban sandwich, and most places won’t sell it.”
When I tried to pay, Luis held up his hands. “Never from you.”
I thanked him and stuffed a ten in the tip jar.
As we sat in the air-conditioning of my car, Marie said, “Did he not charge you because you’re with the police?”
“Sort of. Years ago, he was robbed and his teenage daughter was pistol-whipped by the robber. There was no way to ID the suspect and Luis was too scared to give us many details. His daughter was a mess. She had two surgeries. It pissed me off,” I said. “So I put an offer out on the street for information about the guy.”
“What kind of offer?”
“I let the best snitches know that I’d give them a walk on their next crack-possession charge if they came up with the name.”
“And did they?”
“The next day I had Ronald Jerris in custody for robbery and assault. It was his fifth arrest that year.”
Marie thought about it and said, “An offer to ignore possession of crack? I’d never be allowed to do that at home.”
“I’m not supposed to do it here either. But letting a brutal robber get away with beating a teenage girl isn’t right. Given the choice between what’s legal and what’s right, I chose right.”
“And now you get free sandwiches.”
“Which I’d like to pay for, but it would hurt his pride. But better than a free lunch is that his daughter is entering her third year at the University of Central Florida.”
We finished our sandwiches and got on our way. As I drove, Marie sat in the passenger seat and took in all the sights of South Florida. “What city is this?” she asked at one point.
“It’s called Coral Springs. This is where people who work in Miami live. At least, people who work in public service.”
Marie turned to me. “Are we going to your house?”
“I thought you might like to eat a home-cooked meal and see what an average American family made up of only adults is like.” I was taking a risk; I wasn’t sure how she’d react to this.
She gave me a broad smile and said, “Will your mom and sister be there?”
“They’re busy making our dinner as we speak.”
All Marie said was “Excellent.”
Chapter 55
I TOOK MARIE to my house, despite the fact that I had some concerns. My mom had been pretty good since the incident at the doctor’s office a few days ago, but the likelihood of her having an episode increased as time went on, and I was afraid we were due for a bad night.
My apprehension grew as I turned into my driveway and parked the Explorer. I didn’t know whether I should warn Marie or just roll the dice and see what happened. “Marie, I probably need to tell you something,” I said.
She turned in the seat to give me her full attention. “Of course.”
I thought about how to phrase it, but there’d be no point in telling her if my mom was doing well. Finally, I chickened out and said, “I’m really glad you got a chance to come to Florida. My mom and sister are going to love you.”
I appreciated the smile she gave me.
I felt like I was about to make entry on a search warrant as we ambled up the walkway. As soon as the door opened and I caught a whiff of the Italian food, I felt better.
My little sister popped out of the kitchen immediately, walked right up to Marie, and extended her hand. “You must be Marie. I’m sorry you have to put up with my bonehead brother. He said you took great care of him in Amsterdam, so we hope to do the same for you.”
I stepped next to my sister and gave her a hug. My primary purpose was to gauge the amount of alcohol on her breath. It was tolerable.
Lila took Marie by the arm and walked her toward the kitchen. Lila casually
looked over her shoulder and winked at me. That meant everything was okay. At least for now.
I don’t know why, but my mom had become something of a gourmet cook since her diagnosis of dementia. As kids, Lila and I got only the basics. We were well fed, but no one would’ve considered our house a culinary mecca. Now something had clicked, and my mom seemed to understand much more about seasoning; she’d begun making astonishing dishes. I’d asked the doctor about it. He’d just shrugged and said, “I wish I could tell you if it was related to the dementia. The truth is, we have very little idea of what things are triggered by this disease.”
Tonight, I was happy and relieved to see that Mom was as gracious and charming as she normally was. Or at least, as she used to be. She ushered the three of us out to the patio, where she had a pitcher of mojitos ready. We settled in for a drink, Marie sitting between me and my sister, and my mom said, “I tried a new lasagna recipe tonight, and we’ll start with a salad of arugula, strawberries, and walnuts.”
I clapped my hands and said, “That sounds delicious.”
My mom touched my arm and said, “Thanks, Chuck.”
My heart skipped a beat.
After my mom had wandered back into the kitchen, Marie leaned over and asked, “Why did she call you Chuck? Is that your middle name?”
I decided it was time to explain things. I wasn’t embarrassed; I just never knew how to tell people that my mom sometimes lived in a different time and place.
Chapter 56
Amsterdam
HANNA GREETE HAD raced around Amsterdam for several days taking care of various tasks so that she could leave for the United States with a clear schedule. She’d planned to fly to Miami to be at the dock when the Scandinavian Queen arrived, but now she had to waste time meeting with her Russian contact Alexi at his favorite little pub in the Oost District.
At least in a pub she’d only have to put up with alcohol, not the constant odor of pot.
She tried to be friendly as well as professional when dealing with the Russians, as there was no way to completely avoid them in this business. Today, though, she didn’t have the patience for pretense, and as soon as she sat at the small table and faced Alexi, she got right to the point. “I hope this is important. I have never been busier in my whole life,” she said.
Alexi was as calm and cool as always. He took a sip of his beer, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and asked, “Are you about to go to Miami?”
“Yes. Yes, I am. And the people I’m delivering there should go a long way toward covering any debts I have with Mr. Rostoff.”
Alexi nodded and smiled. “I’m sure it will. But Mr. Rostoff is a little nervous that you’re leaving the country. We’re going to need some collateral before you depart.”
“Collateral? You already loaned me the money. The only way I can pay it back is to go on this trip. You should’ve asked for collateral when you offered me the loan.”
“But we didn’t, which is why we’re asking for it now.”
“What kind of collateral did you have in mind?”
“We were thinking about the diamonds that everyone knows you possess.”
Hanna gave him a flat stare and said, “No.”
That didn’t faze Alexi. He said, “Perhaps we could babysit your daughter. She would be safe and we would have the collateral we need.”
Hanna looked at the well-dressed, middle-aged man, trying to assess if he was joking. Finally, she said, “Are you insane? Why would I ever leave my daughter with you? I’m afraid the entire concept of collateral is not going to work out.”
“What about your brother, Albert?”
“You’re not listening to me. There will be no collateral. Besides, I heard some of your people are very angry at Albert.”
“He did kill one of our enforcers. It was most impressive. And we understand that our man was not without some culpability. But this is business. We would guarantee your brother’s safety until you returned and a payment was made.”
Hanna tried to appear as if she were considering the offer. That was probably her best option to get out of this pub safely. She said, “Let me speak to Albert. I’ll see what we can work out. I won’t be leaving for almost a week anyway.” That little lie should buy her some breathing room.
“We have contacts in Miami waiting to help you. Your success is our success. But there needs to be some trust between us.”
“In our business, trust is a rare commodity. Just like collateral, it’s difficult to come up with, and no one has much.”
Alexi flexed his fingers and said, “I’m the one who stood up for you when you needed money. I saw that you ran a reasonable operation and had the potential to supply us with a lot of people in the Miami area. We are always needing more people in the organization. At least, the kind that you supply. Please don’t mistake my faith in you for foolishness. I do not like to be jerked around.”
Hanna nodded as she stood up. “Nor do I. This load will go through. My debt to you will be paid and I don’t expect any trouble while I’m gone.” She had nothing more to say, so she simply turned on her heel and left.
Chapter 57
HANNA WAS COMPOSED as she walked away from the infuriatingly calm Alexi, but as soon as he was out of sight, she rushed back to her office. She was not about to risk the Russians deciding they were going to take collateral whether she offered it or not.
Janine, Tasi, and Lisbeth—the young women who worked for Hanna—could tell just by her stride what kind of pressure their boss was under. As soon as she burst through the door, all three of them jumped up to see how they could help.
Hanna took a moment and looked at the three young women. She might be tough on them occasionally, but she couldn’t put them at risk. There was no telling what the Russians would do while she was gone. She said, “We might be facing some challenges from the Russians. I understand if anyone wants to quit.” She looked from girl to girl. “Let me know now. I’ll even throw in a full month’s pay as severance.”
None of the girls spoke up.
“No one wants to jump ship?”
They all shook their heads with varying degrees of decisiveness.
“That may be a lack of judgment, but I’m proud of you all,” Hanna said, a catch in her voice. This was loyalty.
Janine spoke up. “What do you need us to do?”
Hanna thought about it. “What I really need you and Lisbeth to do is nothing. Just lay low for the couple of weeks I’ll be out of town. Don’t come here, no matter what. I’ll call you and let you know when it’s safe.”
Janine’s younger sister, Tasi, who didn’t have her sister’s organizational skills or street smarts but who was as pretty as any twenty-year-old in the city, said, “What about me? Am I okay to work here?”
Hanna looked at the poor, silly girl who didn’t have the common sense to know when her life was in danger. “No, Tasi, I’m going to need you to come with me.”
“To the United States?” It was clear the girl thought this might be a joke.
Hanna nodded.
The young woman smiled, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. “You need me to help you on your trip?” Tasi couldn’t hide her excitement.
Hanna said, “I’ve decided to take Josie with me. You’ll be an excellent nanny.”
It all seemed to make sense to the young woman at that point. She bounced up and down for a moment, clapping her hands. All Hanna could think was that Tasi was too naive to stay here alone. And she certainly didn’t believe Tasi was capable of keeping her daughter safe. That’s why she was going to bring Albert too.
Hanna found her brother in the back room. She said, “I’ve decided to take Josie and you with me on the trip to Miami.”
Albert looked up from the magazine he was reading and said, “I thought you said there’d be nothing for me to do in Miami. This sounds fishy to me.”
“Alexi has asked for collateral if I’m leaving the country. He made some veiled threats against you and Josie.
”
“Take Josie. That’s perfect. Besides, if I don’t have to worry about you two, I can eliminate a lot of our problems here in Amsterdam.”
Hanna liked his optimism, but she wasn’t about to let her crazy brother go running around Amsterdam murdering Russians.
Before an argument developed, Josie walked into the room. Albert adjusted immediately. He was always careful not to let his niece overhear anything about their business.
Hanna looked at her daughter and said, “How would you like to go on holiday?”
The young girl widened her eyes and asked, “Where?”
“Miami, Florida, in the United States.”
“Is that near Disney World?”
“How big can Florida be? When we’re done in Miami, we’ll go to Disney World.”
Josie turned to her uncle and said, “Mom won’t go on some of the wild rides.”
Albert said, “I know, she’s not much fun.” He winked at his sister, then looked back at Josie. “But I’ll take you on any ride you want.”
Josie said, “Do you think we’ll be able to see an alligator in Florida?”
“I guarantee it. They have whole farms of alligators there. Some of them even do tricks.”
Josie tilted her head and said, “That’s not true, is it?”
Albert raised his right hand and said, “I swear.”
At that, the girl excitedly bounded out of the room.
Hanna looked at her brother. “I guess that means you’re coming. I should get Josie to ask you to do things more often.”
Chapter 58
HANNA DIDN’T WANT to take any chances, so she decided to leave for Miami out of Paris. She, Albert, Josie, and Tasi took the train to France. The entire trip, Albert conducted his version of countersurveillance by roaming through the cars, making certain no one was following them on the train.
Hanna, Albert, and Josie had fake passports that identified them by different names. Tasi used her regular passport. No one would recognize her name or suspect her of anything.
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