Miami's Forgotten

by Matt Lincoln

  My heart sank, and I started to feel like a louse right off the bat before I’d even said anything. “I’m sorry, Verity, but I can’t. My team and I have some business to take care of, and we’re going to be out of town for a while.” It felt terrible having to disappoint her, even if I didn’t actually want to help out with their setting up shop.

  Her disheartening silence was excruciating to me. “For how long? You’ll be back by Sunday, won’t you?” There was an optimistic lift to her voice there in the end, and I was going to have to dash that hope, too.

  “I can’t make any promises, Verity,” I admitted. “I simply don’t have a timeline right now, and I probably won’t any time soon. This is going to take as long as it takes. Sorry.” I really was. I knew how much these art shows meant to her and her career, but this couldn’t be helped.

  “You can’t even tell me about it, can you?” I could hear the pout and hurt rise in her voice.

  “No, I can’t.” That was all I was going to say. The less she knew about this mission and the case, the better and safer it was for her. There was no doubt in my mind about that in the least.

  She sighed but sounded resigned to it. “Okay, well, try to stay in touch when you can. I’ll not call you during any of this. I know how careful you have to be about it, so please just text me once in a while or something. Will that do?”

  “It will.” I smiled, thinking about how well she was taking this. “Have a good time at the opening, and good luck.” That was all that I could offer her. I heard her end click to finish the call. And that was it. It was time to focus on the mission entirely now.

  We spent a few hours avoiding shipping lanes and trying our best to stay away from all other ships. I opened Wraith up every chance that I got, but I didn’t want to overdo it. Once we got closer to Havana, the tension rose as we could see a lot of action and traffic. I had wanted to stop for fuel at a little place I trusted, but now I was getting worried. Even at this time of the evening, it shouldn’t be this busy.

  Rosa turned on the radio scanner to find out if something odd was going on. We’d had the waves tuned in, just like we usually did to make sure that we didn’t miss anything, but now we all felt the need to be more aware of what was happening here and now. The scanner listened to transmissions from everything within range, or it could be pinpointed for a more direct approach.

  “Wide beam, I think for now,” I told Rosa, wanting to be prudent.

  She tuned it in, and we listened for anything too out of the ordinary. Most of it was just static and overlapping chatter from the nearby boats. We could hear a variety of coastal Spanish, Creole, English, and some French off and on. Xavier was standing over my shoulder, listening as intently as Rosa and I were. Something was bothering him, though.

  “What’s got you, Xavier? Something standing out in all of that?” I nodded to the radio, even though it was nonsensical to do so.

  “Yeah, actually,” he replied. “The French? They seem to be giving orders to the other ships. Maybe. It’s cutting out really bad and hard to understand.” Xavier leaned over to adjust the tuner, trying to find a better frequency.

  At that moment, a cruiser cut right in front of Wraith, and I had to move quickly to avoid an impact.

  “What the---?” I called out. “They came out of nowhere!”

  Another cruiser and a speed boat cut across our path, and I had to cut it sharp and slow down to keep from hitting one of them. Rosa braced herself against the helm, and Xavier fell forward but caught himself.

  “What’s going on?” Xavier cried out. The chatter on the radio got faster and angrier in the tones. Whatever was going on, other captains had noticed, too.

  “I have no clue. Let’s get out of here.” My mind was racing as I slowly increased Wraith’s speed and maneuvered her gently from the crowd of traffic gathering around us. I had an unbelievably bad feeling about what I was seeing. All of these small crafts were huddling the larger boats together, and that wouldn’t be for anything good.

  “Header, what’s going on?” Xavier’s tone had changed, and I could sense the stress level of all three of us rise.

  “They’re working us into a hole,” I realized. “Rosa? Plot me a fast course out of here before we get wedged in.” I hadn’t seen this type of trap in a long time. They were forcing boats that needed refueling into a mass and then picking them off as they pleased. If this tactic held true, they’d start to open fire here real soon.

  I moved Wraith fast and razor-sharp to avoid colliding with others. This was going to get dangerous, and someone was going to get hurt. Xavier fell into his seat and buckled himself in. Then he took up his laptop, and I could hear him typing.

  “Header?” he called out. “Try to get into the east side of the rest of the ships. They seem to be leaving that area open.”

  “Yeah, probably as a false cavity,” I acknowledged. “They want us to go there.” I was trying to remain calm and not hit anything around us. Rosa was feeding coordinates into the system faster than I could adjust to them, and the surrounding space was getting tighter. The babble from the radio was getting louder and more animated.

  “I really don’t want to have to shoot our way out of this.” I groaned at the prospect.

  Rosa glanced over at me, and I could feel her eyes settle on me, waiting. I returned the glance, and unspoken orders passed between us. She jumped up and headed for the gunner position. I hated like hell for this to get that way, but there was no way I was going to let Wraith get boarded, hit, or used in any way.

  “Xavier? Isolate the chatter and find out who’s running the show here,” I ordered. “If I see a good opening, I’m taking it. So, get ready to hold on to something.” I adapted the gauges and kept my options open to make a quick getaway. That’s when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

  “Espectro! Espectro!” The radio echoed in Spanish, and I knew that they were talking about us.

  “How do they---?” Xavier’s words were cut short as I ticked the throttle up and found a tiny opening that I could exploit.

  “They think we’re a US police boat,” I realized. “They’ll be all over us for the tech if they can do it. We’re leaving now! Rosa? Cripple ‘em!” I called the last order back to her. Within a few seconds, I could hear the pings and recoils of our guns hitting the boats that were trying to close us off and into their trap. I knew that Rosa would get us a good, solid hole to bust through, and it would be my job to make it count.

  Then I heard a hideous screeching to our port side that simultaneously sent us stumbling to our left. We’d gotten hit by something. “Xavier? What’s making contact back there?” I needed his eyes to help me from taking too much damage as I was focused on steering us out of this mess. I knew that Rosa was too busy because I could hear her doing her job.

  “Um… there’s a kind of claw looking thing dragging beside us. I think one of the other boats is tangled in---” There was a sudden lurch to the port and then a grumble from the outside of Wraith. “Oh, nevermind. We’re free.” Xavier’s voice was lighter than I’d expected it to be for something so dangerous.

  “What was it?” I called back as I spotted a line out of there that was shrinking fast. “Nevermind. Hold on. I’m going for it!”

  I pressed on the throttle, and Wraith responded enthusiastically. Two larger cruisers were trying to cut off the opening that they’d inadvertently caused, but we were too fast. Wraith zipped through the break with barely enough room for us to breathe. The hulls of the other two boats slammed together and caught our aft just enough to rattle us and shake us a bit.

  Rosa was still firing at anyone dumb enough to still be chasing us, and I didn’t want to stop her.

  “Xavier, I need you to find us a new place to refuel,” I called out. “‘Cause we are not going back there unless our lives depend on it.” I was a little too excited at the narrow escape as I could feel that my pulse was elevated. I guess I’d missed the action of outrunning a barricade, as it ha
d been a while.

  A few nautical miles out, and Rosa returned to her seat next to me in the co-pilot’s chair. I gave her a sideways glance and noticed just the biggest smile on her face. It most likely matched mine. I could only imagine what Xavier had looked like after all of that. He probably needed a stiff drink.

  An hour out, I followed Xavier’s instructions to a small, nasty-looking little place that promised to have fuel for us. It was going to cost us a lot, but at least we couldn’t get boxed in or ambushed as before. After that, we had a few hours of smooth, unhindered movement ahead of us.

  I checked back in with a Havana station and found out that three boats had been attacked for their cargo and their crews killed in the confrontation. I knew that we’d been lucky to get out of there without much damage and only a little wounded pride. I started to wonder if that had been a setup by someone or if I was just paranoid again.

  There was no way to tell from here, and I wasn’t about to go back and investigate it. I just had to hope that the next port for fuel wouldn’t become a full-contact sporting event. I was going to have to get some rest soon, so I handed Wraith off to Rosa, who’d already gotten her nap in. Xavier was working on his laptop, and I didn’t want to bother him. So, I took the cot, turned to face the wall, and closed my eyes for a little rest.

  25

  Jake

  By the time we hit the port of Vera Cruz, the three of us were all ready for some fresh air and the ability to stretch our legs. It was overcast and threatening to rain, and taking that humid, heavy air into my lungs was going to feel so good. We were all ready to get a start on this search and scout mission, even Xavier. The sooner we began, the sooner we’d complete it, and that was the overarching goal.

  Rosa and I had talked Xavier into carrying a weapon just for self-protection, if nothing else. He was seasoned with a Glock G42 and had more range time with that piece than any other. I had my trusty and favored Ruger 57, and Rosa took a brand-new looking Smith and Wesson 9mm along with her. All three of these were going to be easy to conceal, which was the plan. We didn’t want to look like we were prowling the streets looking for trouble. We just wanted to be geared up for it.

  From what Xavier could tell from the social media photos he’d found, Nohemi’s family that did live here were located in a small fishing district in the South part of the city. There wasn’t going to be a safe place to keep Wraith, and I needed all three of us on the ground. It was decided that Xavier would get dropped off at the docks and grab a small speedboat for us there. Rosa and I would take Wraith to one of the small inlets and keep her there for safekeeping. Once Xavier got back to us in the rental boat, we’d all go into the city together and look for the kid.

  The ports and piers were crowded and filled with the bustle of the busy workday. There was a multitude of cultures and languages clashing against each other as we tried to make our way through the masses. International trade was alive and well here, but Spanish was the most prevalent language we could hear.

  People were peddling their wares, yelling, crying out, and pushing items into the faces of passersby. Rosa, Xavier, and I were used to this, having traveled and worked in many diverse places over the years. It was just something that you kind of ignored after a while. If you knew the language, which we all did, you’d just keep replying with, “No, Gracias,” and then we’d keep moving forward.

  We’d left our small boat in the hands of a harbormaster that spoke English, and we told him that we’d be back in a few hours. That was the hope, anyway. Our tentative plan was to send one of us back, if the hour got too late, to claim the boat. The other two would keep searching unless we’d run into too much trouble or needed a break or some rest. We were determined to stay with the search for Nohemi until he found him, no matter what.

  “Let’s grab a bite to eat and try to blend in as we go,” I suggested to my team. Rosa located a friendly vendor selling something that I’d consider a soft taco. It was easy to transport and tasty, which was my biggest need for now. Xavier was a bit pickier but settled on a kabob type meal with a little goat and hog mixed with grilled fruit and vegetables. It looked and smelled great, but I considered it too messy. I stuck with the tortilla wrapped pork instead.

  The city was preparing for the rainstorm that would be hitting any moment now. People were rushing around, trying to get their shopping and errands done before the downpour began. None of us had left Wraith with rain gear, and that was an oversight on our part. I wouldn’t mind the rain, but it meant that the public would move indoors, and asking for information or directions would become that much harder for us.

  “Xavier, you know what we’re looking for,” I said, turning to look over at him. “You want to take point in the location process here?” Rosa and I had studied the pictures, but he was much better at identifying specific landmarks from the images that he’d found. Plus, while Rosa and I had been helming Wraith, Xavier had been studiously trying to improve his methods of finding the places.

  Unsure but willing, Xavier took the lead and started to walk toward the Southern districts. The rain started up slowly and steadily, giving us enough time to reach where Xavier wanted to begin our search. He had the pictures on his phone and had sent them to us, but we agreed that it would look odd for all of us to have them out and stare at them as we walked around.

  “I think this might be the right area, generally speaking,” he called to us, staying close by. The drizzling rain wasn’t that much of a distraction yet. “I mean, I can’t be sure, but the houses look familiar.”

  I held back my comment on that. The houses and buildings here all had a similar appearance and style. Most had faded or peeling paint on the trim and window sills. The shop signs were well worn and not in the best of shape. It looked like a part of town that had seen better days long, long ago.

  Rosa tapped me on the arm and gestured to a bunch of teenage kids hanging out under a lean-to tin roof. I got her meaning and headed over.

  “Ola.” I offered a friendly tone with a chin wave.

  A few of the kids responded with return chin nods, and one of the girls turned and giggled into her friend’s shoulder.

  “Estoy buscando Nohemi,” I asked them. “¿Lo has visto?” I’m looking for Nohemi. Have you seen him?

  Two of the guys smiled at this, but I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. The tallest girl, she was maybe eighteen, nodded at me from her perch on a hollowed down adobe wall. They were all either seated on it or leaning against it. I guessed that it was common practice for the local teens. The rest of the group kind of looked at her and snickered. That told me that she was the jefa, the boss.

  “He’s at his grandma’s.” Her English was decent, and her accent was smooth but playful. “She’s trying to die again, so he’s taking care of her.”

  I, too, switched to English to reply. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know which house is hers?” I looked around. There were only two possible lanes or roads that we could look through. The rest of the area was opened up to the docks. I turned back to her, but she was shaking her head at me.

  “I don’t think so,” she replied. “She don’t know you. She won’t come to the door for people she don’t know.” She was still grinning, and I was wondering what her little game with this was. Maybe she just liked to harass American tourist types. I was okay with that, as long as it didn’t go too far.

  “I don’t want to see her,” I assured her. “I want to see Nohemi. Just show me where the house is, and I’ll handle the rest. Grandma, too.” I smiled back at her, hoping for a new kind of response with that.

  One of the other kid’s attention snapped to the lane on the left, and I saw his eyes grow wide at something he saw. He shook his head violently, and I turned to see a dark-skinned guy with a bad complexion walking up toward this group. But he took one look at his friend, saw Rosa, Xavier, and I, and turned to run back the way he’d come.

  Rosa saw him first and must have gotten a feel for what he was goi
ng to do because she was off after him in an instant. Xavier took a few moments to calculate what was happening, and then he too ran off, but down the other lane. Maybe he knew something I didn’t know about the intersections or exits. Of course, he did. He probably had the map memorized.

  “¡Gracias!” I called back over my shoulder to the laughing group of teens as I rushed to catch up with Rosa and the guy. The hard-packed dirt lane was getting just slippery enough to make the danger of sliding and falling a real concern for us. As I was thinking that very thing, I saw Rosa slide on a patch of wet dirt and fall to one knee.

  She was alright, so I didn’t stop to check on her. I sped ahead, and I recognized the guy as Nohemi. He looked exactly like his photo that we all had seen and was easy to identify now. He took a chance and looked back to see if we were still following him. The look of fear in his eyes was obvious, even from this distance. Maybe if I called out, we could avoid the footrace. “Nohemi! You’re in danger! Stop running!” That most likely wasn’t the best way to make friends, but nothing else came to mind just then.

  He was slowing down, and for a moment, I thought that he’d believed me, but no. He rounded a corner and grabbed onto a wooden framed shed to keep himself from falling or slipping in the mud. The rain was really coming down now, soaking us to the skin. I followed him around the corner, but my momentum carried me further, and I almost slid into the building of the corner area that he turned down.

  As I made the turn, I saw Rosa out of the corner of my eyes, and I was so relieved to see her still with me. Now I only wondered about Xavier, but I trusted that he had a plan of sorts, and he was doing something to help out in his own way.

  Nohemi ran through a puddle that was too deep for him to navigate, and he fell to his knees. He cried out in alarm and scrambled to get back up and continue running. I watched the whole thing and took the opportunity I saw. I sped up and hurled over the puddle, landing hard and slipping down on my butt. But the gamble paid off, and as I skidded in the mud, I took out Nohemi’s legs, making him fall again.