by Matt Lincoln
“Agent Keim!” she announced. “This is very fortuitous. I have been trying to contact you for days now.” She was smiling so broadly that I thought her face would crack. The agent was not letting her get to him, but he didn’t like this, either. “I do want you to know that I have filed a claim in reference to your custody of a Mr. Caris. Who, ironically,” Cecily turned to LaShawn and gestured graciously at him, “was going to be charged with oh so many counts of assault in his attack against Mr. Spindle.”
She sighed in a contented and smug way. “But lo-and-behold, Mr. Caris was shot and killed in the known presence and production of a designer drug laboratory. Now, what is the DEA’s procedure for that kind of snafu? Because I will need to be adding that to my official report.”
Keim was prepared, though, and he pulled out a card from the inside of his jacket. “Here is the correct number that you should be calling in order to get in touch with my office.” He handed it to her. “No doubt you were using an outdated or civilian posted number, and those are all filtered by digital algorithms. It's no wonder you got lost in the system.”
That made Castiglioni come forward and offer Detective Musik her own card. “And if you still find that you’re not getting the answers and responses you require, please call me, Detective…?”
“Cecily Musik. Thank you, Agent…?” The two women were sizing each other up, and I wondered what they made of each other.
“Melody Castiglioni.” Then they shook hands, and I couldn’t be prouder than I was at myself for bringing those two people together. I glanced over at Keim, and under that facade of a simpering smile, I could imagine he was fuming at what was going on in my office. I had the suspicion that Castiglioni was a much more honest and less corrupted agent than her partner. And now, for her to be on… terms with the go-getting Officer Musik… I hoped wonderful things might come from that. And Keim wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.
“Thanks again, and I’ll be in touch. I promise.” Cecily moved out of the way to give LaShawn a chance to see Keim for himself.
The two men scanned one another, and all LaShawn did was open the door to let them out. Castiglioni was polite and thanked him, popping out of the room quickly. I noticed that she still had the orange juice bottle that I’d offered her with her. Keim nodded to all of us and strolled out.
Once the door was closed, I shook my head at the performance. “That was not a good time.” I took out my phone and called up Xavier. I was going to chew him out for missing all this. But the call went to voicemail. “You two want to follow me? I need to go check on something.”
LaShawn and Cecily followed me along the docks until we reached Xavier’s yacht.
“Did they just show up and start interrogating you?” Cecily asked.
“Yes, they did,” I replied. “Well, he did. She barely said anything. All she did was grab my prints. Or she will, once she runs the bottle. That’ll teach me to be friendly and hospitable to authoritative figures.” I looked back at her and grinned.
“Those are your paranoid delusions speaking, Jake,” LaShawn teased. “Maybe she just likes plastic bottles.” We all knew that wasn’t even a possibility.
“What were they fishing for?” Cecily was still interested in the realism of what had happened, not the future implications of what might occur.
“The drug cartel angle. The fact that they can’t trace my income and my work. Keim really wants to implicate me somehow in all this. He did have some decent intel, though.” I didn’t want to get into the past about Nace or Judge Fu because that was a lot to explain, so I dropped it.
We reached Xavier’s yacht, and I yelled up, hoping to get his attention. Lael was walking up, carrying a full bucket of resin and a roller all in one hand. “He’s not here. He left earlier in a cab.” He placed the bucket down and started to prepare for the project he was working on. “He took that laptop, though. Does he go everywhere with that?”
“Yes, he does,” I answered. Now that left me with a bunch of new questions, and the fact that he wasn’t communicating on cell really bothered me. I tried calling him again but still got the voicemail. This time I left an urgent message and demanded that he call, text, and email me. “Thanks, Lael.”
The guy nodded at me and turned back to his task.
We started back to the office. “Well, I guess we can go back to the office and make a plan. If the DEA is going to be sticking their noses into my life, there are a few things you two need to know. Unless you’d rather just not be any more involved, I could absolutely understand if you don’t want to be informed about all the crap going on.” I was kind of hoping that they’d pass and leave it alone. That would mean fewer people to be targeted and fewer backs to watch.
“Is what you would tell us going to compromise my ability to do my job in an unbiased manner?” That was the most police-like thing I’d ever heard Detective Musik say up to this date.
I answered her sincerely. “It will completely compromise your opinions and conceivably taint your investigation into the drug murders here in Miami.” I wasn’t going to lie about that.
“Then, I’m out.” She held up her hands and stepped back. “LaShawn, if you want to hear him out, I’ll just go back to the car and play on my phone. But I’ve already done all that I intend to on the shady side of what you do.” She nodded kindly at me, and I appreciated that. “Thanks, but no thanks.” Cecily turned and walked away, leaving just LaShawn and me.
He took in a deep breath and was struggling to make his decision. “I want to, man. I want to know everything, and I want to help you out, but… I don’t know what I could contribute to your cause.” He sighed and shook his head. “I mean, I know that I’m the one that got you into this, but Jake, I don’t think I want to know what you do when I’m not around.”
I could respect that. I bowed my head knowingly.
“If I was not where I am right now,” I knew that he was talking about his health, “I would probably jump with you. But man, I can’t. I just can’t do that anymore, and it kills me sometimes, but I’ve dealt with my limitations. I know them, and I know not to push too far because I can’t handle the load.”
“You would if you could.” I got it, and I reached in with our bro-hug to let him know that I was okay with his decision. “Consider the invite closed. But I’m still going to get to the bottom of this, just so you know.”
“Yeah, you better!” He joked as he shook my hand. “Thanks for understanding. I’ll see you later.” LaShawn walked back to his car in the parking lot, and I watched him drive away. Now, I just had to find Xavier.
23
Jake
By the time Xavier responded to my many texts, I was a little on edge. The impromptu visit from the DEA agents had set my mood against me, and now I wanted more than ever to get to the bottom of their part in this operation. Once I heard that familiar ping that I recognized as Xavier’s on my cell, I answered it immediately.
“Where the hell have you been, Xavier?” I might have been more forceful than was necessary, and I quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, this morning has been going badly, and I could have used your help. Just tell me that you’re okay.”
“I am, I promise. Sorry to have worried you. It wasn’t intentional.” He sounded sincere, so I relaxed. “Hey, would it be too much to ask for you to meet me in the parking lot of your marina? I could use some help myself. You’ll understand when I get there.” Xavier was playing whatever he was doing close to his vest. I had no right to get angrier about that, so I kept quiet until we were face-to-face to hash this out.
I was standing out there for maybe ten minutes when I saw a small utility vehicle pull into my marina’s lot. Behind the wheel was Xavier, who was driving way too cautiously, and that made me grin at his antics. Beside him in the passenger’s seat was someone with a gigantic hat and overly large sunglasses on. My heart jumped into my throat as I hoped that my eyes were not deceiving me.
Once Xavier had parked the vehicle, I w
alked over to the passenger side and opened the door. Out stepped a gorgeous redhead wearing a pair of black shorts and a white spaghetti-strapped tank. The hat was one-part sun protection, one-part ridiculous waste of space. The glasses reminded me of the style that Hollywood starlets used to wear in the old days. And all I could think of was how great Rosa looked as she moved out of the car.
We grabbed each other and held on for a few minutes until Xavier could be heard clearing his throat at us. While Rosa and I had been hugging, he’d gotten some of her luggage out of the back and was lining it up for us to carry. That could all wait. Right then, I needed to see Rosa.
“You are a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you.” I was smiling like a goof, I knew, but I didn’t care. It was wonderful to see her again and to have her standing right here in front of me.
She was grinning too as she removed her sunglasses and tucked them into the neck of her shirt, and I’d forgotten how much I had missed those eyes of hers.
I knew that you couldn’t go too long without me. But the truth is, I missed you both, too. Rosa was signing extremely fast, and I knew that was because there was just so much to say. I am sorry that I couldn’t get here sooner, though. I was having a hard time getting all of my financials straightened out, and then I couldn’t find a rental that I liked well enough to sign on to. But it’s all taken care of now, and so here I am. She was looking between Xavier and me and back again with her wise and uncompromising eyes. It was so good to have her back with us.
I grabbed one of her bags, Xavier took another, and she picked up the last one and threw it onto her shoulder.
“Well, I’m just glad that you made it,” I admitted. “But why are we taking all your stuff to Xavier’s yacht if you found a place already?”
It won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon, she signed. This is only what I need, anyway. The rest can just stay in the car until tomorrow. Thank you both, by the way. I appreciate your help. The three of us headed for Xavier’s yacht to catch up and stow Rosa’s gear.
Along the way, he brought up this morning’s events. “What were all the texts and calls about, Header? What did I miss while planning and implementing this surprise of Rosa?” It was a fun jab at me, but he had no idea how serious things were becoming.
“I had two DEA agents visit me this morning,” I informed them both. “They are trying to pin their own mess on me, I think. You get all the info we’ve been sending you?” This was directed at Rosa, who nodded that she had gotten it. “Okay then, you know that there’s a drug ring here in Miami that has been targeting and experimenting on the homeless population and some ex-addicts, too. But it’s gone live, and a local celebrity died from an overdose of whatever this drug is. It’s still not getting too much attention, but that might change, sadly.”
So, no one cared too much while it was homeless people, but when an exclusive member of society gets affected, people start to care? Rosa’s distaste for that was evident, and I felt the same as she did about it.
“Precisely,” I nodded. “I came into possession of some substances, and Xavier and I handed them over to George to analyze them for us. He has a personal stake in this as he was the deceased’s private physician for a while. He was questioned about the death by investigators, too.” I wanted Rosa to be as filled in about all this as I could make her. “But the real stringer is this…” I paused as we were finally at the yacht. “I think Judge Fu and the Yabut are still behind all this, and they never stopped their trafficking scheme at all.”
That was a lot to lay on them both right now, but I felt that we couldn’t afford to waste too much more time.
I watched for their reactions, and Xavier was the first to show any signs of it. “That was my conclusion, too, after going through that notebook you gave me.”
What notebook? Rosa asked, looking confused and incredibly interested at the same time.
Xavier grinned at us both and gestured for us to come aboard his yacht. “There’s just so much going on. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll make us some drinks. We’re going to need them.”
It had been a while since I’d visited Xavier on his yacht, and I didn’t remember it as well as I should have. There was still all the wood fixtures and paneling of before, in their deep, rich looking colors and textures. The sleeping cabin still slept four, and the service utilities weren’t ever going to change much. But now, the place had a bit more of a lived-in, homey feel to it. I didn’t know exactly how or why. I could only feel the vibe of it had been altered subtly.
The lounge/living area was very laid back and comfortable to look at. There wasn’t too much color or decoration of note, but it made up for all of that in technology and gadgets. It gave the whole place a futuristic feel that was completely Xavier.
I found my way to an enclosed chair that felt and looked kind of like a hutch seat in some secret lair. It was deep, and I sunk into it, realizing how nice this space could be. A lot of the place looked like this. It might be a chair, or it might be a table, you didn’t know until you sat on it.
Rosa’s bags had been left in a closet by the cabin, and she took a seat on a more obvious looking couch opposite. Her hat came off, leaving her hair a bit of a mess. She saw that I was smirking at her.
Now you know why I don’t do hats too often.
“You still look great. No worries.” I sighed in relief at having almost all of my team back together again. That was an amazing feeling to have. But there was one thing I needed to address before we got further into details about the current mission. It was best to just dive in and figure it out. “So, does anyone else get the sense that Doc’s avoiding us? He won’t respond to any of my messages, and I’m starting to worry.” I could only hope that they’d had better luck staying in contact with him.
Rosa was the first to reply. Last I heard, he was in India sorting out a ‘personal matter.’ She used air quotes for effect, but I didn’t know if it was sarcasm or not.
“So personal that he’s cut off all contact from the team and me?” I challenged. I knew that it wasn’t their fault in any way. I was just trying to find out what was truly going on. I didn’t like or deserve uncertainty within our group.
“Not all contact,” Xavier piped up. “I heard from him a week ago, I think. He was still in Pune, but he was planning on heading out. He didn’t give a destination, though. I got the impression that his plans weren’t final yet. But that was the last I’d heard from him.” It didn’t seem to bother Xavier too much.
Maybe I was overreacting. It could be that I’d just gotten so used to all of us being so close, practically within arm’s reach of one another, that this separation was hitting me too personally and directly. Perhaps I needed to take a step back and think about my expectations for the team, both as a whole and individually.
What about you, Header? I’m guessing since you asked that he’s stayed off of your grid, too? Rosa questioned.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I haven’t gotten a reply from him in a while. Not from lack of trying. That’s why I asked both of you. I was hoping for some kind of confirmation, one way or another, honestly. I’d even prefer bad news to this constant stream of nothing.” I could feel myself getting angrier and more dissatisfied with the total lack of information, so maybe it was time to shift gears. “Do you think that Doc’s in some kind of trouble here? That maybe he’s been unable to say more, hence the lack of communication?”
Both Xavier and Rosa exchanged looks with one another and then at me. She nodded her head as Xavier responded.
“I think that whatever he is going through and doing that maybe… he’s in over his head,” Xavier theorized. “He might actually need our help. But until we know where he is or where to find him, it's all just a shot in the dark to try to locate him.” Xavier looked a little sheepish just then. “Because I have been trying to find him. But his cell is off, or non-functioning, and every email is getting bounced back or is left unopened.” Xavier walked over and handed me bo
ttled water. He then turned and gave Rosa the same before taking his captain’s chair seat.
That sent too many red flags up for my comfort level. I could see on Rosa’s face that it, too, was worrying her. “Then what do we do? As a team, it's our responsibility to find him and help him if we can. So, what are our options? And let’s keep them viable, alright? What can we feasibly do to track Doc down?”
“Well, I’ve exhausted my capabilities with how I normally go about finding people,” Xavier noted. “Without tracking him step-by-step and talking to people on site of his last known whereabouts, I’m not sure what else I can do from here.” I appreciated his frankness about it. That would make the decisions easier for me.
While I am worried about him, it could be that he just doesn’t want to be found right now, Rosa pointed out. When he said personal issues, maybe it was something that he didn’t want us involved in or with. He’s as private minded as any of us. And he knows that we’d help him through anything if he’d only ask. Is pushing ourselves on him even going to work? Rosa’s brow was furrowed like she’d been struggling with those questions for a while without ever coming to a conclusion. She shook her head, still unable to answer them now.
“So,” I concluded, “what I’m hearing is, he knows that we’re here and that we’d help and all he has to do is ask us. But also, that he might be unable to ask for help and, in that case, we should act.” I scoffed at how silly it sounded. “There’s no answer there, you two. We need to make a choice, one way or another, and act on it. Simple as that.”
What’s your take, Header? Do you think that his silence warrants action? Or do we wait for a bit longer and see what happens? It all feels fifty-fifty right or wrong to me. Rosa expressed my thoughts all too well.
