by S. D. BROWN
Should I answer it? And say what?
Brinnnnng. Brinnnnng.
What was going on?
And where had Dad gone without either his phone or his wallet?
His phone stopped mid-ring.
"Where are you, Dad?" I said to the empty room.
My phone started to blast music.
9: Serena
The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.
Friedrich Nietzsche
AZTEC PALACE RESORT
CANCUN RIVIERA
A soft rap on my door woke me with a jolt.
"Just a moment," I called out and quickly unplugged from the electrical outlet. Uncle Monte had cleverly disguised my power cord as a braided silver chain. I always wear it. That way it's always close at hand if I find myself in an emergency. The amazing thing is that it fits perfectly around my neck as a necklace, but can stretch up to three meters when it's in power-cord mode.
Neither Mum nor Harry knew about my special skills or their source. I wanted to keep it that way.
My face flooded with heat in spite of the superb air-conditioning. A glance at the bedside clock indicated I'd slept for almost an hour.
"The food's here," Mum's voice said. She sounded chipper. Her mini-rest must have done wonders.
"Go ahead and start without me. I'm changing. I'll join you in a tit-tat." I grabbed a pair of shorts and an embroidered peasant blouse Uncle Monte had given me before I left England.
"Hurry it up then. It'll get cold."
"Don't wait for me, enjoy," I said. My stomach rumbled and I realized I was famished. To myself I muttered, "Don't let Harry devour it all before I get there."
I flung my proper British travel outfit to the floor and slipped into my tourist guise. A glance at the mirror surprised me. The outfit didn't look half bad. I pulled my long brown hair back into a ponytail that reached my waist and secured it with a butterfly clip. Maybe I should consider cutting it. Long hair and this humid heat weren't at all compatible.
I picked up my travel-soiled clothes and put them in the bottom drawer of the huge rattan dresser in the walk-in closet. It would serve as a laundry basket until I located something more suitable.
In the front room, Mum and Harry waited at the glass-topped dining table designed to seat six. She sat at one end. He sat at the other. Between them sat a sumptuous feast. There were at least six overflowing plates of what I imagined were the tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tostados. Plus there were beans, rice and a fruit plate, too.
My stomach grumbled again as I inhaled the tantalizing scents of the exotic repast. To my surprise, they'd waited for me.
"Plop yourself down," Harry said. "So we can finally dig in."
I sat mid-ships. "You shouldn't have waited."
He shot Mum a petulant look. "Your mother insisted," his voice lowered, "that we eat our first meal together like a proper family."
I held back a smile. It looked like Harry resented being relegated to the foot of the table. But that could be to my advantage. If Mum was in charge, that meant it'd be easier to make him my ally.
"Sling me the enchiladas." Harry took the serving platter from me and slid half its contents onto his own plate.
Mum cleared her throat. "Manners? We haven't said grace."
Harry slammed the platter back down and I imagined I could see steam leaking from his ears. Obviously, the honeymoon cover was going to be a challenge.
He stared at Mum like he dared her to object. "All right. I'll say it." He winked at me. "Good food. Good meat. Good God. Let's eat. Satisfied?"
"Thank you, Harry," Mum said, sounding more than a little annoyed. "Rena, please pass the fruit?"
It was like the thermostat had dropped to the arctic zone. My gaze drifted to the computers. To my surprise, all three screens were now black.
"Why aren't we monitoring the targets' rooms?" I asked.
"No point until the boy arrives," Harry said between bites. He looked at his watch. "The eagle should land at the resort in about fifteen minutes. Check-in will take another ten. Plenty of time to enjoy the grub."
He filled his plate. A splash of spicy tomato sauce landed on the table. He wiped it up with his finger and licked it. "No point in letting the good stuff go to waste."
Mum winced.
This was turning out great. It seemed Mum disliked Harry as much as he disliked her. Instead of one, I'd have two secret allies.
The meal conversation rated a zero, but the food was marvelous. My first taste of a cheese enchilada burst like a fiesta on my palate. No wonder Harry was addicted. And the tacos were to die for. Didn't love the burrito, so I let Harry take thirds. Did love the guacamole dip and put it on everything. By the end of the meal I had eaten way too much.
Harry put his finger to his ear. Nodded and smiled. "Little Rena, it's rodeo time."
"Translation, please?" I said.
"Time to saddle up and ride." Harry pushed away from the table and stood, brushing the meal's remains from his shirt to the floor.
I looked at Mum. "What's he talking about?"
"Vacation's over," she said.
"Yep. Time to rock and roll," Harry said, "and get you set with your new spy toys. By the time you're outfitted, the boy should be in his room."
"What kind of spy toys?" I asked.
"That's his department," Mum said. "I'll clean up while he explains how they work."
Harry walked over to his tech table and popped open a suitcase I hadn't noticed earlier. He waved me over with a flourish, morphing from cowboy to a television game show host. "Next contestant is the lovely Rena Mir. Come on down. Today you will be playing for some lovely fashion accessories to round out your vacation ensemble."
What kind of spy equipment had Harry brought for me?
A tiny knot formed in my abdomen as I imagined his dreadful idea of fashion accessories. Hopefully it wasn't a cowboy hat and spurs. Or worse, he'd picked a hot pink Mexican sombrero with tassels. Holding my breath I watched as he pulled out two small white leather jewelry boxes.
At least they were small and couldn't be too garish.
He raised his eyebrows and held out the two boxes. "So what will our lady of the hour choose? Box number one? Or box number two?"
I reached for the smaller package.
He pulled it back. "Good choice. Let's see what's in the box." He opened it. Nestled in white cotton was a tasteful silver pyramid charm.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It was quite lovely.
"This will look nice on that chain of yours," he said.
"What does it do?" I asked, unclipping my chain.
"This is a tracking device. It'll keep us appraised of your whereabouts at all times." Now Harry sounded like the professional weapons expert Q from James Bond. "Don't lose it. Give me your chain. I'll attach it."
"That's okay," I said, afraid he might discover my chain was more than what it appeared. "The clasp is tricky to open."
He handed me the delicate pendant. "It's waterproof. Don't ever take it off. It's your lifeline."
I slipped it onto the chain and back on my neck.
He opened the second box.
"A charm bracelet," I said.
"Anklet," he said. "And waterproof as well. The three donkeys are mini- explosives. The sombrero is a tracker. The Aztec sun is a beacon should you lose your necklace and the moon is a powerful electromagnet. They're all activated basically in the same way. Remove them from the anklet and they're armed with a two minute activation time."
"What about the chili peppers?"
"They're just filler charms." Next he handed me a pair of designer sunglasses. "These are your net-shades."
"What do they do?"
"Put them on and tap the little star on the right temple."
"Special!" I said. A hologram computer screen hovered in front of me. "How do I access the net?"
"Say the code word 'angel' and then make your request."
I licked my lips. "Angel. . ." The h
olo-image shimmered as if in anticipation of my coming request. "Show me a transcript of Harry's school records."
Harry cleared his throat.
The holo-screen blinked and old school records appeared like magic.
"I see your deportment skills were less than satisfactory during your secondary years."
Mum unsuccessfully stifled an uncharacteristic giggle.
"The net-shades weren't designed for your amusement," he said. "Please limit your inquiries to mission-related topics. They are not waterproof."
Last he handed me what looked like a mobile phone.
"What's this do?"
"It's a cell phone," came his drawl. Great. The return of the American redneck. "You use it when you want to give me or the little woman a holler. Or vice versa. Or if you like, you can take some pretty pictures."
"I already have a mobile."
"And for this mission," Mum said, wiping her hand on a towel. "You'll use this one. Make sure you get a lot of photographs of the boy. Try to capture a few that can be used as leverage on the father."
Before I could ask for clarification, Harry turned and flipped on the first two computers. He swore. "Honey, we have a problem."
Mum rushed over.
The first computer screen wasn't focused on the target's room. Instead it showed the head of a static large yellow iguana flicking its tongue at the camera.
Harry tapped another key. "Let's see if we can get some audio."
From the computer's speaker we heard a phone ring and then stop. It was followed by a short silence.
"Where are you, Dad?" said a boy's voice. It didn't sound like the boy was frightened, just confused.
Next came a blast of rock music.
10: J.T.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee
Isaiah 41:10a
AZTEC PALACE RESORT
CANCUN RIVIERA
My cell phone blared.
Groan. It was Mom for the third time since I'd arrived in paradise. Why couldn't she let me have my time with Dad? I spent most of the year with her, Vernon and the girls. Dad didn't call her every half hour to check up on me.
This had to stop. She owed me some uninterrupted quality time with Dad. Even if he wasn't here, yet.
I rushed into the closest bathroom and switched on its shower before I answered.
"Hi, Mom."
"J.T. Is everything okay?"
"Of course it is."
"Why haven't you called me back?"
"Before you have a major snit attack, we just got checked in."
"I want to talk to your father."
"He's in the shower."
"I don't care. Put him on."
"Dad? It's Mom. She wants to talk to you."
I held the phone close to the shower spray, grabbed a towel to muffle my voice and lowered it an octave. "Can't this wait? I'm in the shower."
"She wants to talk to you, now," I said, dropping the towel and using my real voice.
"Tell her you've arrived safe and sound," I said using my towel voice. "That this is our week and I don't expect to hear from her again until after you've returned home."
Towel down. "I don't think that's what she wants to hear."
Towel up. "I don't care. I don't check on her parenting skills. She needn't check on mine. Tell her good-bye."
"Mom?" I said, towel down.
I heard her loud martyr sigh. "J.T., promise me that when you get married you'll treat your wife like an equal. Not an underling."
"Uhh, yeah. Sure thing."
"I love you." Her voice sounded a little sad.
"Love you, too." And I meant it, but . . . "Got to go. See ya next week."
"If you need me for anything, just call."
"I will. Bye." I clicked off.
The shower was already on, so I stripped and slam-dunked my ruined school uniform into the trash. "Two points!"
It felt good to wash off the ground muck from the airport. I used up two of the little bottles of shampoo from the counter. When I was done I wrapped a towel around me and went into my room.
"Okay, Dad. If I were you and I didn't expect me for another hour or so, where would I hang out to wait for me? Not in the room. That's for sure."
I unzipped my carry on. My swim shorts were packed on top.
"It's a no brainer. The pool it is."
I finished drying and slipped into the trunks and a black T-shirt with a fluorescent lime-green gecko on the front. Under it read: WILL SING FOR FLIES.
Back in the front room I picked up Dad's wallet and cell phone. Obviously it wasn't a smart idea to leave them lying around in plain sight. I stuffed them back into his hiding place in the couch and hid mine in the armchair.
Satisfied at my genius-ness, I headed for the door. "Hot chicks beware. The Gecko and I have landed."
Before I had a chance to flip open the deadbolt, the doorbell rang. At least I thought it was the doorbell. It sounded like a bunch of birds tweeting. The frenzy of bird cries was followed by several sharp knocks.
Squinting one eye shut, I looked through the one-way security peephole drilled in the door.
An air-sucking gasp paralyzed my brain for a second.
Inside condo land, security was supposed to be tight. Only guests were allowed in and undesirables were kept out. But if that was true, why was I staring at a bubble-view distortion of Blazer Guy?
"I know you're in there, J.T." Blazer Guy's voice sounded annoyed. He leaned in close to the peephole. We stood eyeball-to-eyeball separated by three inches of door, glass and steel. "Quit fooling around and open up."
"Trace!" said Hot Chick.
She must have shoved him because now I was staring at her face. Even a little distorted she looked hot.
"J.T., we're not the enemy. Please let us in. We're your friends." She puckered her lips like she might cry. "Please?"
"You're wasting your time, Dharma," he said and started pounding on the door. "Let us in, you little brat."
Then I heard a sound like someone was trying to bust open the door. Like I'd open it now?
They must have thought I was pretty stupid. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of even knowing I was there. That is if they didn't have some high-tech reverse peephole viewer. I dropped into a crouch and inched away from the entrance and silently crept toward the balcony on the opposite side of the room. Holding my breath, I slid the glass door open.
Moist hot air wrapped around me like a blanket. I leaned up against the iron safety wall and looked down into the gardens. It was about a fifteen-foot drop. A roll landing wasn't an option. Not with the prickly cactus garden directly below. I'd have to plunge straight down between the agaves and the ocotillos.
And hope for the best.
If I climbed over the safety railings and lowered myself to floor level, it'd only be about eight feet. I could do it.
I swung one leg over the railing and then the other. I squatted low and then let my legs dangle for a moment before letting go.
I landed hard. My ankles felt like they'd been jammed up to my knees. Still, it was better than being kidnapped. And better yet, I'd avoided being stabbed by the vegetation. Now all I had to do was scope out the pools and find Dad.
He'd set Blazer Guy Trace and Hot Chick Dharma straight. That is, he would when I found him.
Going into stealth mode, I crept down the length of the building toward the sound of cascading water. As I grew closer to the pools, a faint chlorine scent drifted on the air. I rounded the corner and blinked.
"Whoa!"
A fifty-foot long black serpent statue stretched across an oval pool of sky blue water. Its head reared at least thirty feet in the air, surveying the endless series of swimming pools while snacking on some Aztec dude for lunch. Or maybe it was his breakfast. But even more awesome, its long serpentine body appeared to slither on the surface of the water.
"Double whoa!"
; "The Quetzalcoatl is pretty impressive, isn't it?"
I turned. Standing next to me was a girl. A pretty girl with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that came down to her waist. She wore cool shades. Short shorts and strappy sandals. Obviously she'd just arrived like me, but didn't come from the sunshine belt like I did. Her skin was a white white. Like my mom's expensive dishes she only used for special occasions.
"Quetzo what?" I asked, sounding like a total dork.
"Quetzalcoatl. It's a Mesoamerican deity."
Her sweet British accent zapped my brain cells into useless silly putty. All I could do was nod like a mindless dashboard bobble-head.
"Translated," she went on, "Quetzalcoatl means 'feathered serpent.' The Toltecs and Aztecs worshiped it as a god identified with the wind and air."
I pointed at the head. "Who likes to snack on humans," I blurted out and my voice cracked. I should have kept my big mouth shut. Every guy with two brain cells knows that girls don't like gross stuff. Even when it's cool.
This smart, cute girl must think I'm a total caveman.
11: Serena
If some animals are good at hunting and others are suitable for hunting,then the gods must clearly smile on hunting.
Aristotle
AZTEC PALACE RESORT
CANCUN RIVIERA
"The boy's on the move. He's headed for the pool," Harry said to me. "Go on ahead and get him hooked, Rena. As soon as the Battle Axe slips into a bikini, we'll join you and help reel him in."
"The Battle Axe wears one-piece swimwear," Pretend Mum said and headed for her bedroom.
"But, Hon . . ." Harry winked at me. "We're on our honeymoon."
"Only in your dreams," she said and slammed her bedroom door.
Harry let out a blast of laughter. "I just love my job. But seriously, Rena, you need to get down to the pools before some other girl scoops him up."
"I doubt that," I said, thinking of the photograph I'd studied on the plane of the brace-face boy. "Make it quick on your end."
