by Mark Dawson
She stopped at a street vendor and bought a cone of cucurucho for lunch. She untied the string, opened the folded palm leaf, and munched on the sticky trail mix of nuts, shredded coconut, orange chunks and pineapple bound with honey while she continued around town. Danny and Melissa were safely on their way, and now she could think of herself. She found a travel agency and bought tickets for the trip she was ready to take. She would fly from Cienfuegos to Panama City and, from there, she would begin her long journey to Auckland. She had chosen a route that would avoid the need to transit in the United States; it would take longer, but the delay would buy her the peace of mind that she wouldn’t be picked up. Her itinerary occasioned stops in Bogotá and Santiago before the LATAM flight that would bring her to Auckland, twenty-six hours later.
She shouldered her go-bag and left the shop, then hitched a ride to the beach on Playa de Reina. She gazed out over the white sand to the blue sea. She slipped off her boots, knotted the laces and hung them around her neck. It felt good to walk along this white beach and feel the fine sand between her toes. Her fingers went to the sterling silver locket at her throat. She touched the daisy design on the cover with her finger like a talisman. No need to open it; she knew Isabella’s sweet face by heart. What did her daughter look like now? It was almost two years since she had been taken from her.
Her phone buzzed with another message. She took it out and saw that it was from Danny. He had sent her a selfie: he and Melissa were standing at the rail of a ship. They were both smiling, him with his arm around her shoulders. They would be safe now. She had contacted Michael, and he had promised to send them tickets to return to Hong Kong if that was what they chose to do. Melissa still had her life in Miami. Beatrix wondered whether Melissa might return there after enjoying the time with her father; he could join her once Logan had finished removing Lincoln from office. At least they both had options now; that was an improvement on their situation from just a few days ago.
A second message arrived.
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK.
Beatrix allowed herself a smile, then split the phone in two and tossed both pieces into the warm waters of the Caribbean.
She made her way back to the promenade.
She had a flight to catch.
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In the Isabella Rose Series
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About the Author
Mark Dawson is the author of the breakout John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Soho Noir series.
For more information:
www.markjdawson.com
[email protected]
AN UNPUTDOWNABLE ebook.
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by UNPUTDOWNABLE LIMITED
Copyright © UNPUTDOWNABLE LIMITED 2019
The moral right of Mark Dawson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
