Getaway Girlz

by Joan Rylen

  “I don’t know y’all,” Wendy laughed and walked away from them a little bit.

  Mid growl, Lucy tripped over the curb. She had finished off her yard about three-quarters of the way through dinner and hadn’t said much since.

  “You okay, Lucy?” Kate asked. “We don’t need any face-plants.”

  She gave a thumbs up, which was bright red from the hurricane, as were her lips. How did she get hurricane on her thumb? Vivian thought.

  Once outside, they wandered toward the main square and worked their way through the crowd to see Mariachis playing in front of a large fountain and dancers performing what resembled a square dance. They looked like something out of the movies, the women in colorful embroidered dresses, their hair pulled off to the side in a bun and accented with flowers, and the men in black mariachi suits adorned in silver, hats, too. Children danced, also dressed in the traditional outfits. The little girls even had frilly fans.

  Vivian had enough after a while and said, “Let’s see if we can find the No Name place.”

  They walked away from the square, toward some shops and were beckoned in by the storekeeper. “Free gift,” he promised. The lady behind the counter gave them each a small silver charm. Vivian got a starfish and Kate gave her the seashell charm she had been given.

  “Awe, thanks. I’ll have to put these on necklaces for Audrey and Lauren,” Vivian said.

  The ploy worked and they each spent a little bit in the shop. Vivian bought a small jewelry box, Lucy some earrings, Kate a charm bracelet and Wendy some magnets.

  They left the store, planning to window shop their way to the bar, when another shopkeeper offered free beer.

  “Can’t pass up free beer,” Vivian said, taking the bait. She then proceeded to pick out funny onesies, “My mom rocks” and “It wasn’t me,” for the twins. Both advertised Cozumel, Mexico.

  “I need to sit down,” Lucy said after several shops and a few more complimentary beers. “We getting close to the No Name, yet?”

  Kate glanced around, then pointed down the street. “Look, there’s a gold exchange place.”

  “And there’s a blue door,” Wendy said.

  CHAPTER 43

  VIVIAN FELT a bit apprehensive as they approached the blue door. What kind of a place doesn’t have a sign?

  Wendy pulled the door handle, cigarette smoke and the sound of thumping bass traveled down a short, dark hallway. “Tejano music. Great, I feel right at home.”

  Wendy lived in her grandparents’ house which was built in the ’50s. The neighborhood had morphed over the years and lovers of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” had been replaced by lovers of La Mafia’s “Como Me Duele Amor.” The German and Czech-influenced Tejano music was often heard blaring from cars parked in the streets, driveways and yards, front and back.

  “I don’t know about this place.” Kate crossed her arms, reluctant to go in. “The smoke, the music…and it looks kinda seedy.”

  The Tejano music ended and Guns and Roses “Sweet Child of Mine” blasted out the door. “We’re here so we might as well check it out” Vivian said and did the goofy sway dance made famous by Axel. “If it sucks, we’ll move on.”

  Lucy nudged Kate forward, who sighed and walked through the door Wendy still held open.

  The short hallway opened up to a decent sized bar lit mainly by neon beer signs, giving the small dance floor a greenish glow. It took a few seconds for Vivian’s eyes to adjust, but she decided the place looked okay. The few locals in the place stared at them as they walked across the room and took a seat.

  A waitress approached their table and threw down beverage napkins. “Que quieres?”

  Wendy glanced over to the bar, looking for taps or any other indicators of what was available. “Have any specials?” she asked.

  “Especial ‘No-Name’ drink. Tequila, jugo de naranja, es rojo y…” she shrugged.

  “Is it fruity?” Lucy asked.

  “Si. Es fuerte.”

  “Oh, it’s strong. Cuatro por favor.” Wendy gave the girls a thumbs up.

  “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West kicked on.

  “I love this song,” Lucy said. “Let’s dance.”

  “Y’all go ahead. I haven’t had enough to drink yet.” Kate put her feet up in Lucy’s vacated chair.

  “I think I’ll wait for my frosty beverage,” Wendy said.

  Vivian and Lucy had the floor to themselves. Vivian’s white tank-top glowed green, and Lucy pointed out her floral bra showing through.

  Vivian shrugged. “Didn’t seem so noticeable at the hotel when I put it on this morning. These green lights show it off. Oh well!”

  Two older guys sat down at a table right next to the dance floor.

  “They’re leering.” Lucy turned so that her rump wasn’t shaking in their faces.

  “Just ignore them,” Vivian replied.

  One of the guys moved behind Lucy and started dancing. Vivian grabbed Lucy’s hand and twirled her away from him. Didn’t deter him though. Lucy had no idea he’d moved back behind her until he grabbed her waist and started to grind.

  She turned around and wagged her finger at him. “No no no,” she chided.

  He gave her an innocent shrug and kept on dancing, but without touching her.

  Lucy and Vivian finished the song and headed back to the table.

  “This is freakin’ good.” Kate took a sip of her no-name drink. “I wish I knew what was in it.”

  Vivian tried it, too. “Damn. This is tasty. Wendy, you were a bartender. What do you think is in it besides tequila and orange juice?”

  She took a sip and pondered for a moment. “Coconut rum, crème de cassis and pineapple juice maybe? Grenadine is what turned it red. It’s hard to say. There’s something else I just can’t put my finger on.”

  “Well, I’m putting my lips on it. Yum!” Kate was almost done with hers.

  The waitress appeared with four more. “From the man over there.” She pointed to the wanna-be grinder.

  They raised their glasses to him. “Salud!”

  After a while of enjoying their drinks, Kate said, “We should probably head back to the ferry pretty soon. We don’t want detective Vega lookin’ for us and unable to find us.”

  A ray of sunshine shot down the hallway, illuminating the entrance just enough for Vivian to see the outline of three short shadows in the doorway. The door closed behind them, and her eyes adjusted back to the green glow. There stood Shorty and The Ladies.

  “Holy crap!” Lucy had a panicked look on her face. “They followed us.”

  “No, no way,” Vivian tried to reassure her. “We weren’t followed. We’ve been here for a while already. If they followed us they would have come in right after us.”

  Shorty’s eyes flashed with recognition and he and The Ladies sauntered over. “Aye, look who here.” Speedy Gonzales gangster-talk in the house.

  Vivian glanced at the girls and then at Shorty. “Well look what the cat dragged in. What are y’all up to tonight?”

  “Having good time?” he asked, then gestured to their table.

  “Oh, yeah, join us.” Vivian immediately regretted saying that as Kate’s eyes got wide and she sucked in her breath. Thankfully, she regained her composure quickly.

  The waitress scurried over and pushed a second table to theirs, and added three more chairs. Another arrived with three tequila shots and sat them on the added table. She then set down a full bottle of tequila and four empty shot glasses.

  “So just out in Cozumel for the heck of it, huh?” Lucy asked.

  Shorty sat down and his entourage followed suit. He introduced The Ladies as Eva and Josephina then said, “My family owns bar,” he tapped an index finger on the table, then continued, “and two, three more. I check them, you know?”

  He shot his tequila without flinching, it might as well have been water. From the corner of her eye, Vivian saw Kate cringe. One of his ladies refilled his glass.

  “Besides,” he continued, “I tak
e boat out.”

  “So you own this bar?” Wendy asked.

  “Mi familia.” He gestured toward the bartender who held up a tequila shot in salud, then sucked it down.

  “Oh,” Vivian said. “I heard you were in the tequila business.”

  “We make best tequila in world.” He picked up the bottle and turned the label toward them. “Tiempo Loco.”

  He unscrewed the top and poured four shots. “I vice president marketing y distribution.”

  “Every bartender or waitress we order margaritas or tequila shots from has recommended it. It’s good.” Kate picked up her No-Name drink. “This is good, too.”

  “Glad you like,” Shorty passed each of them a glass. “I have persuasive power.” He gave them his best shit-eating grin.

  What is his marketing pitch? Vivian thought. “Sell only my tequila, or else?” but said “Yeah, it’s good stuff.”

  Lucy nodded in agreement.

  “What about salt and lime?” Kate asked.

  One of The Ladies scoffed.

  “No need.” Shorty held up his shot to toast, everyone followed suit. “To de Loco.”

  They clinked glasses and drank.

  “Woooooo!” Lucy yelled. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  Vivian, needing the lime, coughed a little and patted her chest.

  “Smooth stuff,” Wendy managed.

  His smile widened. “So why you in Cozumel?”

  Vivian took a sip of her No-Name drink and answered, “We just wanted to get out of Playa for a while. Needed some fresh air, so to speak.”

  “Yo comprendo. Es tense in Playa right now.” Shorty poured Vivian another drink. His arm grazed hers as he poured. “I am sorry Jon es dead. He es cool guy.”

  Vivian was unnerved at his touch “Yes, he was,” was all she could think of for a response.

  “So when did you meet Jon and Pierre?” Kate asked.

  “Few weeks ago, at the Purple Peacock,” Shorty said. “We talk boats. I mention mine and he get excited. Said he going buy one like it,” he put his thumb and index finger close together to relate smaller, “pero más pequeñas. I take them out and we have a good time. Sometimes we go to Peacock, sometimes other places.”

  Vivian’s head felt a little swimmy from the tequila. “I only really got to know him that one night. I hate this has happened. I hope they catch whoever did it.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment. Shorty’s broken English broke the silence.

  “The last time I saw Jon I get angry. I have too much drink. I feel bad, you know?”

  The four girls looked at each other.

  Shorty held his glass so Eva, or was it Josephina, could pour him another. “So what happen to Jon? Last time I see him was Club Caliente.” Shorty picked up the tequila shot and pointed at Vivian with it. “He es with you.”

  Vivian’s face got hot. “Well, uh, a bunch of us hung out at the club. Then he and I walked back to the hotel, and I went up to my room, leaving him on the beach,” she said and took another sip of her drink, her mouth suddenly dry. “Next thing I knew, the cops were banging on our door to take us down to the police station.”

  “They took our passports,” Lucy said. “Which totally sucks.”

  Shorty laughed and snorted, spilling some of his tequila shot. “They think you kill him?”

  “Yeah,” Vivian sniffled. “I think they think I did it.”

  “What about his amigo, Pierre?”

  “He went with us to the market today.” Wendy blew out a big puff of air, like she’d been holding her breath during the entire conversation with Shorty. “That was a fiasco.”

  “I hear some gringos run through the market in ponchos y sombreros. You?” Shorty asked, using his glass to gesture towards the four of them.

  “Yeah,” Wendy said. “We were running after this crazy girl, Stella.”

  “We thought we saw someone we knew from high school,” Vivian interrupted, not wanting to tell him the Stella details.

  “Long way from home see someone you know.”

  “We know a lot of people. I think we graduated with something like 800 people.”

  The girls all knew Vivian was covering. Their graduating class had closer to 400.

  Kate, trying to get off the Stella topic, asked him, “So what about you, have you talked to Pierre or seen him since Jon…you know,” she hesitated, “was killed?”

  “I don’t get close to police investigation. I don’t go to hotel, see Pierre.” He changed topics. “How you get here?”

  “We took the ferry over, and, actually, we should probably be heading back,” Wendy said.

  “Stay. Hang out with me.” Shorty leaned back in his chair and put his arms around The Ladies. “I take you back on Outlaw. Drop you on the beach at hotel.”

  Lucy gasped. She couldn’t help herself. “That’s okay, Julio. We appreciate the offer, but we don’t want to impose. We’ll just catch the ferry back.”

  “No no. You no want to leave. es early. Party just get started.” He looked around the No Name, which had started to fill up.

  “Besides,” he smirked, looking at Vivian. “You no look like a killer to me.”

  CHAPTER 44

  KATE POPPED off her chair at the No Name Bar in Cozumel. “I need to use the restroom. Anyone else need to go?” She gave Vivian a look. “Buddy system.”

  “Yeah, I need to go.” Vivian took the hint and got up.

  Kate hurried Vivian into the tiny restroom. Shutting the door firmly, she whispered, “Viv, I don’t feel comfortable going back to Playa on Shorty’s boat. He’s still on our list of suspects.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not at the top of the list. Since he’s still a suspect, though, that is exactly why we need to ride back with him. It’ll give us a chance to go inside the cabin and look around. See if there’s anything unusual. You know, a clue.”

  Vivian could practically see the wheels turning in Kate’s head so she decided to press further.

  “Plus, there is some kind of a connection with Al. I think for once Detective Vega is right, Shorty might not be a legitimate businessman, but I don’t think he’s a killer. I can’t explain it exactly, just my gut instinct from talking with him tonight.”

  Kate wrung her hands, the internal debate still raging. “So you want me to risk my life, the life of my future unborn children with Shaun, on your gut instinct?”

  “Boy you’re laying it on thick, but yeah, I do. You know I’m usually right about my gut instincts.”

  “True, your gut has never steered us wrong before,” she paused, then finally agreed. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot. But you’d better be right!” She poked Vivian’s gut on her way out the door.

  The mood at the table was a bit awkward after Vivian and Kate’s return. To break the tension, Kate asked The Ladies politely, “So, are y’all from Playa?”

  Josephina, or was it Eva, answered, “Yes.”

  Not the long-winded types, Vivian thought.

  Lucy laughed nervously. “It must be nice being by the beach all the time.”

  “Playa has much to offer,” Shorty said. “Me, beaches, tourists.” He rubbed his thumb and first two fingers together, “Y tourists drink tequila, no? es good for me.”

  Shorty gave Wendy a sideways glance. “How about you. How much of my tequila you drink since you here?”

  “We’ve all had our fair share,” Wendy said, then took a sip of her No-Name drink.

  “You dance?” Shorty asked as Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” came on.

  Vivian felt like moving, not sitting and said, “I’m in.”

  The seven of them almost took up the entire dance floor, it was so small. Vivian thought Shorty and The Ladies looked like they danced together frequently, as they had a rhythm all their own. They faced one direction, with Shorty sandwiched in the middle, and looked like they were spooning.

  “Do you think they sleep in the same position?” Wendy said in a low voice in Vivian’s ear.


  “Don’t make me hurl.”

  “If we’re going to catch the ferry we need to leave right now,” Lucy reminded them. “It leaves in 10 minutes. We could make a run for it.”

  Kate positioned herself in front of Lucy and Wendy. “Viv’s gut instinct tells her Shorty is not the killer, that Detective Vega may be right about that. She also thinks we need to look around the boat for anything suspicious, though, just in case.”

  Vivian danced around the girls and glanced over at the spooning trio, who were too occupied with groping and grooving to notice their discussion. “I don’t think he’s the one. Shorty may be a shady businessman, but I don’t think he’s our murderer.”

  “Okay, but if he turns out to be a murderer and kills us, I’m going to be pissed!” Lucy said.

  “He’s not going to kill us.” Vivian raised her hands in the air as she danced, acting like they were having a casual conversation. “He just wants to have fun and impress us with his boat. Not bloody it up.”

  Wendy smiled at Shorty and turned away from him as she danced. “Let’s let our waitress know he’s taking us back to Playa. She can come forward if our bodies are found.”

  “Yeah, right, she works for his family,” Lucy said. “She’s not going to give him up.”

  “You never know,” Wendy replied. “Her conscience might get the best of her.”

  “Y’all are acting like we’re goners already. Shorty doesn’t have any reason to harm us,” Vivian said. “He just said he doesn’t like to get involved in police investigations. If the four of us turned up dead, the police would be swarming all over him and Playa. We did tell Detective Vega our suspicions, remember?”

  She danced for a few beats, then continued, “And we told Pierre and Al and Adrienne. They’d get justice for us, and maybe even a little revenge.” She smiled on “revenge.”

  “Ok, let’s make the best of our last night on Earth,” Lucy said, and went back to the table to take a long sip of her drink.

  Shorty left The Ladies on the dance floor, and disappeared through a door behind the bar.

  The Ladies, Kate, Wendy and Vivian went back to the table and joined Lucy.